


Unusual You

by TheChosenAvatar



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/F, Fluff, asami needs some fun in her life, cashier!Asami, good thing korra is fun with a capital F, lots of profanity, mcdonalds, slow-burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 21:59:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4496292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheChosenAvatar/pseuds/TheChosenAvatar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>22 year old Asami Sato has resigned herself to the life of a single workaholic, having given up on her dream of finding her perfect match during her high school and early college years. Enter Korra, the pain in the ass that just might be able to provide the cinematic romance Asami is looking for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Every day was the same as the rest. Dealing with piece of shit customers, feeling irrationally grateful towards the polite ones (sad how they are so few in number), and counting down the hours until close had become the daily ritual of Asami’s life.

But just because she didn’t necessarily enjoy working at the local McDonald’s didn’t mean she found any shame in it either. Working at a fast food restaurant was as honest a job as they came, and Asami sometimes found solace in the monotonous tasks she performed, grateful for the break it gave her always buzzing mind. It was almost methodical, the way she operated her drive-thru window. _Listen to the chime sound in the headset. Check the camera to make sure the customer didn’t drive away. Greet them and take the order. Punch it in. Confirm the order. Take the money. Repeat._ Over and over, from 2:00 PM until 11:00 PM.

As exhilarating as the job sounds, it just so worked out that it was the perfect job for Asami. She was a 22 year old college student who needed the extra cash after her dad decided to commit tax fraud and land himself in prison, leaving Asami pretty much on her own. Which is fine, Asami guesses. She is, after all, 22. But she wished she could have enjoyed the luxury of living with her father just a little bit longer, if only to save money that she was now spending on rent. Thankfully, this job allowed her to do just that, and the hours worked great with her part time school schedule. Asami was not about to complain.

“I am so ready for this night to end,” Asami’s co-worker and best friend Opal said as she noticed Asami slowly dragging a rag across the counter to wipe off any lingering crumbs, “and I think it’s safe to say that you are too.”

Asami sighed in response, moving on to wipe down her drive-thru window.

“You could say that again. I can’t wait for the weekend!” she said excitedly, thinking of all the quality time she was going to be spending with her television.

Opal laughed at Asami’s answer. “Got plans, I’m guessing?”

Asami plastered a grin on her face. _Yeah…plans…with Netflix._

“Uh, yeah!” she said as casually as possible, deciding to leave it at that. But of course Opal pressed on.

“With a guy?” Opal said conspiratorially, and eyebrow raised.

_I mean, if the male leads in television shows count then...yes?_

“Not exactly…”she began, when a chime rang in her headset, signaling that a new customer had pulled up to the drive-thru menu.

 _Saved by the bell,_ Asami thought, glancing at the clock, noting with annoyance that it read 10:55 PM, five minutes before close.

As she heard laughter coming in through the speaker, she sighed, knowing exactly who it was.

Every single Friday night, a group would pull up to the drive-thru right before McDonald’s was about to close. Which, whatever. Usually when people did that they just wanted a soda or something. But this particular group decided to order a meal fit for a freaking king every damn time. The same girl was always driving, and Asami figured she was around her own age. She usually wore a cutoff with black sunglasses perched on her head of almost shoulder length brown hair, and had the good grace to at least _look_ apologetic for messing with Asami’s closing time when she pulled up to pay for the slew of fried food.

And if Asami was being honest, it wasn’t even the girl that was the problem. All the girl ever ordered was a chocolate and vanilla swirl cone. No, it was the two boys that were always in the car with her, obnoxious and loud as hell, yelling random things over the girl to the point where Asami thought they were going to bust the outside speaker.

Today was no exception as Asami greeted the car, trying her best to keep her tone pleasant rather than the snappy attitude she so badly wanted to give them.  

“Hello, welcome to McDonald’s. Would you like to try our new specialty---“

“NO ONE CARES!” one of the boys shouted, and Asami had the urge to jump through the drive-thru window and personally beat the shit out of whichever guy that said that. And since she didn’t actually know which one it was, she’d have to beat both up, which was more than fine with her.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP,” Asami heard the girl yell. “Don’t be such a goddamn prick!”

The girl cleared her throat, attempting to continue with the order.

“Could I please have a chocolate and vanilla swirl cone?” she said politely, and Asami smiled, wishing that the girl’s manners would rub off on her friends.

“Absolutely.” Asami said genuinely. “Anything else?”

“A BIG MAC MEAL DEAL, EXTRA SAUCE, NO ONIONS, DIET COKE WITH NO ICE, 10 PIECE CHICKEN NUGGETS, ONE OF EVERY SAUCE, COOKIES---“

“ALSO ANOTHER 10 PIECE NUGGET, A MCHICKEN WITH NOTHING ON IT, A QUARTER POUNDER WITH TWO SLICES OF CHEESE AND GRILLED ONIONS, AN ICED MOCHA COFFEE WITH TWO AND A HALF SUGARS AND A PUMP OF CARAMEL, DON’T MESS IT UP I’LL KNOW IF YOU DO---LARGE FRIES WITH NO SALT--“

Asami stared at the camera with her lips set in a thin line. Why the hell did they have to order all this damn food EVERY TIME SHE WAS TRYING TO CLOSE THE STORE?! And of COURSE one of the guys would order fries with no salt, because that would mean they would have to make a special batch. How positively annoying.

“Will that be all?” Asami said sweetly, refusing to let the situation get the better of her.

“WHAT, ARE YOU TIMING ME?” one of the guys shouted, and Asami smiled as she heard a loud smack. She liked to think it was the girl hitting the guy who had just spoken.

“Yeah, that’s it, I’m so sorry,” the girl said in to the speaker, awaiting the total.

 _Sorry won’t erase the fact that I have to dirty up the freshly cleaned coffee machine_ , was the first bitter thought that crossed Asami’s mind, but she pushed it away. Sorry didn’t help her situation, but sorry was something.

“All right, then if everything on your screen looks correct your total will be $41.45, please pull to the second window.”

Asami watched as the car stayed put a bit before pulling to the window, wishing that she didn’t have to face the trio. But it was only her and Opal in the restaurant, who was currently wrapped up making the food.

So, resigned to her fate, Asami braced herself and went up the window, hit with the strong smell of alcohol as it opened. She checked over her shoulder to make sure she had the total right before repeating the number to the girl.

“Hi, $41.45 please,” she said as the girl leaned out to hand her two slightly crumpled $20s, and a handful of change.

“Is that how much it costs to get a lap dance from you, baby?” the guy in the front next to the girl said to Asami, his golden eyes dark and grin lazy. Asami could tell he was totally drunk, as was the green eyed beef stick behind him who howled at the lurid comment.

Asami chose not to respond, but she did notice that the girl’s jaw clenched at the comment, her blue eyes flashing dangerously as she stared daggers straight ahead.

“Mako, if you don’t shut up, I swear---“

Asami didn’t hear the rest of the girl’s words as the window closed, and she began counting out the coins the girl had given her. She counted exactly $1.45 in change before she unfolded the crumpled $20 bill, and was surprised to see a tiny blue slip of paper fall out from it’s folds.

She stepped away from the window, out of view of the car outside, to smooth out the paper and read what it said.

 

**_I am really sorry for coming by so late again. I’ll make it up to you one day. Thank you for being so nice. –Korra_ **

 

Korra. So that was the girl’s name. Asami thought it was pretty nice of her to write a note. Most people would never even think of the gesture. And it almost made up for ruining her closing routine once again. Almost, but not quite. She wondered how the girl would ever even make it up to her one day. It was probably just an empty promise, simple courtesy to alleviate her guilt of pulling this stunt every Friday night.

Asami shook her head as she realized she was delving into broody territory, and put the cash into the register before making the drinks for the crew.

“I’m almost done here, Asami!” Opal called from the back, which reminded Asami how happy she was to be closing with Opal, who was a fast and efficient co-worker, rather than someone like Ryu who was slow as hell and had no interest in getting out of work fast, choosing instead to let the time clock keep ticking for a few extra dollars.

When Asami finished making the iced mocha, she grabbed the diet Coke and handed them out the window.

“Thanks,” Korra said before she turned to hand off the drinks to the guys.

Asami couldn’t help herself as she watched the one in the front seat, Mako, she thinks his name was, take a sip from his fancy three and a half sugar with one pump of caramel iced mocha.

“Is it to your liking, sir?” Asami said, leaning out the window with a slight smile on her face.

Korra laughed. “Even if it wasn’t, who gives a shit? He gets what he deserves.”

Asami joined in her laughter, deciding to strike up a conversation. “So what were you guys up to tonight?”

The guy in the backseat leaned over to the front. “DRINKING!”

“As I can tell by the smell…” Asami said, her eyebrow raised.

“I’m the DD. These guys did enough drinking for all of us, as they do every Friday night,” Korra said warily.

“And trust me, Mako and Bolin are actually really cool. But they are THE MOST obnoxious drunks on the face of this earth. I just tag along to make sure they don’t die,” Korra said matter-of-factly, and her tone made Asami laugh.

“And nights of drinking result in McDonald’s cravings?” Asami asked.

“You’ve got it,” Korra nodded. “Plus, since they’re paying, they always give me more money than the actual total. Like tonight, the total was $40, and they each gave me $40. So I paid you with half and pocketed the rest.”

Asami grinned. “Now that’s some smart thinking.”

“I mean, I deserve a little something for putting up with these guys, right?” Korra said, punching Mako in the arm. The punch didn’t faze him as he appeared to be very absorbed in his iced mocha.

“Guess so,” Asami said and pulled back the windows to go make Korra’s swirl cone.

Just as she finished, Opal passed her to hand out the bags of food to the car, and Asami leaned out after her to give Korra her cone.

“Hey, thanks again,” Korra said, licking the top of the cone with a smile.

“It’s okay, really. So I guess we’ll see you next Friday?” Asami said.

“As per usual,” Korra replied before starting to roll up her window. “Have a good one!”

Asami leaned on her elbows out the window and watched as Korra drove off, and smiled when Korra leaned out the car window and waved back at Asami while she waited to turn out.

She jumped as she felt a hand tug her shirt sleeve, ducking her head back inside.

 “All right Asami, let’s power through this closing,” Opal said, locking the drive-thru window.

“Let’s do it,” Asami said in agreement, and she began flicking the switches on the machines to OFF, eager to finish up and go home for the night.

 

* * *

 

 

“KORRA, EAT THE FRY,” Mako kept repeating, mashing a French fry into Korra’s face as she pulled into the brothers’ driveway.

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Korra said, plucking the fry from his fingers before popping it into her mouth. Hell would freeze over before Korra turned down a McDonald’s French fry.

“Korra, you know I really, _reeeeally_ , really love you for driving and being an UH-MAAAZE-ING friend,” Bolin said with a serene smile on his face.

Korra lifted an eyebrow. “Anything for you, Bolin. Now let’s get you guys upstairs.”

She got out of the car and made her way to the other side, taking Mako’s hands and pulling him out of the car.

“You good?” she questioned as he stumbled a bit before regaining his footing.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” he said before taking a step and falling to the ground.

Korra wasn’t quick enough to catch him. “Shit!”

A pair of arms reached out to hoist Mako up and Korra turned to see Wing Beifong, Mako and Bolin’s roommate, helping him stay upright. Meanwhile, Wing’s brother Wei was helping Bolin out of the car.

“Thank goodness they live downstairs and we live upstairs, am I right, bro?” Wing said to Wei.

“You can say that again. It’s bad enough--- _OOF_ \---getting their drunk-- _OW_ \--asses out of a car,” Wei said as he struggled to peel a clinging Bolin off of him. “Couldn’t imagine lugging them up stairs.”

“Thanks guys,” Korra said as the Beifong brothers ushered Mako and Bolin towards their home.

“You’ve got it, Korra. See ya around,” Wei called out as they retreated indoors.

Korra rolled her shoulders, stretching before getting back into her car. It had been a long night of bar hopping with the brothers, which equaled out to a night of getting mercilessly hit on for Korra. And that was not something that she was particularly privy to, especially since she would have much rather been at home glued to her laptop, religiously refreshing her Tumblr dashboard until her eyes grew tired with sleep.

But the part of her that was a good friend, the part that would much rather watch out for the brothers and drive them rather than some rando from Uber, always won out, because at the end of the day, they were her absolute best friends and she’d really do anything for them.

As Korra drove home, she thought of the poor cashier at McDonald’s who always had to deal with them so late at night. She really was a sweetheart for attempting to be nice, when Korra knew she had probably wanted to bitch them all out. That’s why she had scribbled her a quick note of gratitude, because Korra appreciated her being so cool. And the cashier had actually made small talk with her tonight, which was also cool, and, if Korra was being honest, quite possibly the highlight of her night.

As she pulled in her driveway and exited her car, being careful not to slam the door shut to avoid waking her parents, she began thinking of ways she could repay the cashier for all the headaches her and the brothers had caused for so many Friday nights.


	2. UPDATE

So I have completely re-done my story from chapter 2 on. I felt as if I was rushing the story and it was really bothering me, and the direction that I was taking was just generally pissing me off. I figured I should probably take care of that, so I deleted the original chapter two and will be posting the new one next. I wrestled with the idea of doing this since I didn't want to confuse people, but the story had only just begun anyway, and I'd rather craft a good story than build on material that I wasn't into at all. Thanks for your patience and support!! :)


	3. Can't Catch a Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami's life is ruined. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration. But still, she's really pissed.

When Asami got home, the first thing she did was flop onto her couch and kick her shoes off, letting the stress of the day flood away. She closed her eyes and stretched out, inhaling deeply and almost choking when the smell of fried food reached her nostrils. She _had_ to get out of these clothes.

Reluctantly, Asami stood up and dragged herself to her bedroom, pulling off her red polo and tossing it into the heap of similar shirts piling up near her already overfilled hamper. She quickly stepped out of her black pants and grabbed a pair of sweats and a tank top that were hanging out of her dresser drawer.

She sniffed her arm again, and while there was still a slight lingering French fry smell clinging to her skin, the change of clothing did wonders and Asami returned back to the couch, ready to start a one-woman television marathon.

As her Netflix account loaded, Asami pulled her phone out of her purse, and frowned when she saw four missed text messages from Iroh, her very recently ex-boyfriend. She opened her inbox and held her finger down over his name, ready to delete their entire conversation rather than read whatever drivel he had to say. But at the last moment, she hesitated, her curiosity getting the better of her, and opened the message.

Or, messages, she should say. Because it was really four parts to one text message. Asami sat back, ready to peruse the novel that Iroh had apparently written for her.

**1/4 Listen I totally get if you don’t ever**

**want to talk to me again but I really feel**

**like I could try harder to be with you bec**

**2/4 ause I am in love with you Asami and I**

**want to make you happy and protect you**

**because you are beautiful and deserve a k**

**3/4 night in shining armor and I can be tha**

**t for you. I just need to try harder to make ti**

**me and take you out. Dont throw away what**

**4/4 we had because you aren’t going to find a**

**better guy than me. Please call me. I miss you**

**and I need you. I love you Asami**

Asami grimaced. This was getting ridiculous. Surely Iroh could find another girlfriend. He was smart, handsome, and in school to be a firefighter, for heaven’s sake. She knew for a fact that he was adored by the entire female population in Republic City. The scathing stares she received from other women when her and Iroh and been in public had been all she needed to know that she was on the arm of the most coveted man in the area.

So why wouldn’t he just rebound, already? Asami did _not_ want to try again. Their relationship had lasted one very long year and it had been more than enough to show Asami that they were nowhere near compatible.

In their relationship, Iroh was precise, by the book, and predictable, whereas Asami was easy-going and hopelessly romantic, concepts that seemed to frighten Iroh more than monsters under the bed scared children.

It was almost as if he couldn’t separate his work life from his personal life. And Asami could understand being serious about work. She really could. She had acquired her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and her MBA in the span of two years, while holding down a part time job, and she didn’t achieve those credits by bull shitting her way through her work. She had perseverance and drive, and she knew that to get ahead you have to be serious as all hell about your long term career goal.

But outside of school work and work, Asami wanted to be around someone who she could have fun with. Someone who could melt away her anxiety, ease her stress, and make her laugh all her troubles away. Not someone like Iroh who insisted on comparing grades at the end of every week, adding to Asami’s stress rather than alleviating it. Asami wanted someone who would surprise her with dinner reservations or even just some snacks and a movie at home. Not Iroh’s version of a date, which consisted of drilling Asami on every statistic he could find on Varrick Global Industries, the company she hoped to intern for.

At the beginning of their relationship, she had appreciated his desire to help her succeed in her career. But his sweet support soon turned into something akin to obsession. At one point, he’d threatened to cancel Asami’s subscription to Netflix because she, according to him, “should spend less time watching prison lesbians and more time studying”.

Or the time he took her on a “date”, which turned into him taking her into the firehouse where he trained to watch him work, trying to a prove a point to her about how dedicated he was to his job, and how she should follow suit.

That had been pretty much the last straw. Asami had asked for the keys back to her apartment and he had placed them in her hand silently, jaw clenched. She told him plainly that while they looked good together, pretty much nothing else about their relationship was good. And then he had left.

And now, apparently, he has decided that he can win Asami back by incessantly texting her, in turn incessantly annoying the living shit out of her.

She deleted the text messages and put her phone back in her purse, curling into the side of her couch as she put on an episode of _Parks and Recreation_. Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t long before her eyelids begin to grow heavy as the weight of her workday finally caught up to her. She fell into an easy sleep, content to be away from the smell hamburgers and the sounds of ever-present customers.

**_“RIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIING! RIIIIIING!“_ **

“Hello?” Asami slurred groggily into her phone, abruptly awoken by her blaring ringtone. She briefly wondered what had compelled her to keep her phone on full volume.

“Hello, Republic City Correctional Facility, will you accept a call from Hiroshi Sato?”

“Yeah,” Asami said, immediately more awake. It had been a few weeks since she’d last spoken to her dad, and she hoped he wasn’t in any trouble.

There was a click on the line before Hirsoshi’s voice sounded on the phone. “Asami, how are you?”

“I’m fine, how are you? Are you okay? I didn’t think they did phone calls this early,” Asami said.

“They don’t. The visiting and phone call hours have been rescheduled today for some reason. I just thought I’d better call you and check in. How’s the school work?” Pause. “And…remind me again of what you are actually studying?” Hiroshi said apologetically.

Asami laughed.

“I know, it’s hard to keep track of all my academic achievements,” she teased. “Right now I’m working on completing my Engineering and Economics minors. Everything’s going smoothly. Course load is pretty light compared to what I’ve done in the past.”

Hiroshi cleared his throat before continuing.

“Asami, isn’t that a bit much? Straight off the heels of earning your MBA? You don’t want to burn yourself out. And, if I’m not mistaken, you are already well versed in economics and can take apart and put together an engine better than anyone I know.” Hiroshi said.

“Varrick Global Industries doesn’t accept just anyone, dad. I need to be firing on all cylinders if they’re going to even consider me for an internship.” Asami said, and she meant it.

Sir Icknick Blackstone Varrick was known for being an eccentric, inventive genius, and only the best of the best were chosen to intern for his globally successful company.

Asami hoped to one day own her own business, and she knew that there was no one better to learn from than the most influential and successful businessman alive. Unfortunately for her, every other aspiring entrepreneur in the City also had the same idea. She’d heard stories of people who’d moved halfway across the country just to catch Varrick’s eye; people who had pages upon pages of accomplishments in their resumes, and all equipped with multiple degrees. Because everyone knew that with Varrick, bigger was better. Needless to say, she’d rather _not_ skimp on the school work.

Hiroshi sighed. “Well, I know you. So I know that convincing you to lessen your course load would be pointless. So instead I’ll just tell you remember to take breaks, and drink lots of water. And wish you better success than I had with my own business,” he said ruefully.

Asami rolled her eyes even though her father couldn’t see her. “Dad, I am telling you. The Satomobile is still a great idea. It has the potential to blow the hinges off of Cabbage Corp’s entire operation. It just wasn’t the right time to try and go up against them. They own the market, and they can easily snuff anyone out, as you learned first-hand.”

Hiroshi was silent for a few moments, and Asami wondered briefly if she had crossed a line.

 She thought of the years her father had put into his designs for a new kind of car, a sleek sports car that was efficient yet affordable for regular citizens. So that “everyone could have a little luxury in their lives”, as he used to say. He had called it the Satomobile. Asami had thought the shiny black and maroon vehicle was the greatest thing she’d ever seen. Much better than the cheap, over-priced junk Cabbage Corp produced.

Her father put everything their small family had into producing and selling the Satomobile under his own name, Sato Corp. He sold all his family heirlooms and took up a third shift job at a convenience store to finance the company and support him and his daughter. Even 12 year old Asami pitched in, running a lemonade stand outside their house to collect funds. (And it was damn successful, if she might add.)

When the time came to finally debut the Satomobile at Republic City’s Annual Auto Show, Hiroshi found himself smack in middle of a smear campaign to discredit his name and dissuade customers from buying the Satomobile. This campaign was, of course, engineered by Cabbage Corp. And it worked better than they could have ever imagined. Not only did they manage to get the Satomobile taken off the market due to false accusations concerning a faulty engine, but the rumors they spread about Hiroshi using unsavory methods to raise funding prompted authorities to investigate.

Asami found out about the tax evasion and bank fraud the same moment the police did, the image of her father’s head being pushed inside a police car forever burned in her mind. After all the hard, honest work they had put into the company together, she had felt betrayed by his actions. At the time she didn’t see why it was necessary to lie and steal. Now, she could at least understand his desperation. But it still didn’t justify his rash decision. He had single handedly ruined the Sato name and Asami’s opinion of him, though her disappointment had softened with time.

“I’m sorry about…everything, Asami. I’m sorry for leaving you,” he said quietly.

Asami had expected that. ‘I’m sorry’ seemed to make up about 80% of his vocabulary since that day.

“Its fine, dad. I’m not a kid. I can handle things on my own,” Asami said. She had long since accepted her dad’s situation; after all, he had landed himself in prison four years ago, and with time Asami had grown accustomed to living on her own.

“You’re still my little girl. And no child should have to see their father go to jail--” he continued before Asami interrupted. As glad as she was that he had called to check in, she was not in the mood to hash out emotions at 7:03 in the morning.

“Dad. Please. You’ll be out in a year. By then I’ll hopefully have an internship under my belt, and we can work on building our new company together,” she said, trying to end the conversation on a hopeful note after the somewhat dreary turn it had taken.

“Okay,” Hiroshi said, seeming to get the hint. She pictured the corner of his mouth turning up into an amused smile, like he used to do when he would watch her work out tough math problems on her homework.

 “I love you. I’ll talk to you soon,” he said, his tone warm.

“Love you too.”

Asami ended the call and turned off her television that she had accidentally left on overnight. Now that she was up, she supposed she might as well get ready for the day. As for what that day entailed, she had yet to decide, though one thing was for sure: it would involve sweat pants. And generally a whole lot of nothing.

Asami ran a hand through her hair, or rather the bird’s nest that her hair had turned into overnight, and winced when her hand got stuck in a nasty tangle. The thought of having to brush out her hair right now sounded like way more effort than she wanted to give, so she decided that a shower was in order. That way she could just lather on the conditioner and let it take care of the problem.  At least, that’s what she was hoping. Hell, at $40 a bottle it had to work some kind of magic.

Asami got up from the couch, slowly but surely, and made her way to the bathroom, turning on her shower. While she waited for the water to heat up (she liked her showers _hot_ ), she went back to the couch to retrieve her phone, feeling the need to thumb through her Facebook feed. She didn’t even really give a shit about what people were posting, but at this point it was just habit. And maybe she wanted to see what melodramatic crap Iroh had posted.

After scrolling past about twenty separately uploaded photos of Opal’s new puppy, Asami found what she was looking for:

**Iroh III**

**I'm all out of love, what am I without you?** **  
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong**

With a smirk Asami eagerly screenshotted the status update, sending it to Opal along with the message,

 **Really? LOL**.

Asami closed her phone as she realized the screen was becoming foggy, which meant her shower was ready. She shucked off her clothing and stepped into the scorching water, wincing as her skin adjusted to the temperature.

As she shampooed her hair she wondered if she was being too harsh on Iroh. She shouldn’t be making fun of him so much. But then again, he was never anything but a pompous ass to her, and the fact that he thought she would go back to him pissed her off beyond belief. As if she couldn’t find anyone else. As if he was the best she could do.

 _Hardly,_ she thought as she rinsed her hair.

And posting song lyrics on Facebook? Come on.

Asami reached for her conditioner and almost dropped the overly huge bottle on her toes as her phone rang, the loud **_RIIIING_** causing her to jump.

Asami stayed still as the ringer droned on. If it was work calling her in on her day off, she was going to be pissed as all hell. But there was also a very high chance that it was just Iroh blowing up her phone again and leaving a stupid voicemail. She actually couldn’t decide which would be worse, though if it was Iroh, at least it would be entertaining. She couldn’t say the same about work.

Her chances of taking a long, relaxing shower ruined, Asami decided to rush through her routine in order to check her phone. Because on the chance that it was work, and she didn’t call back soon, they’d probably throw a bitch fit and she’d land herself in one of the managers’ offices. That didn’t sound too appealing to her, so she stepped out of the shower just a few minutes after her phone had stopped ringing.

Asami grabbed two towels, wrapping one around her body and the other around her hair as she opened her phone.

**One Missed Call**

**Shit Hole, 7:45 AM**

“Ohhh my God!” Asami groaned aloud. Shit Hole was the name for work in her phone. She contemplated a moment about smashing the phone into pieces. Or flushing it down the toilet or something. If her phone was ruined, how could she possibly have known that she had to go into work?

Excuse after excuse ran through her mind as she called the number back, her mood souring every minute that passed at the prospect of going into McDonald’s and dealing with the public. Usually she wouldn’t be so vehemently opposed to going in to work. But today was supposed to be about relaxation. She hadn’t had off in the past week due to taking people’s shifts. Couldn’t they just let her have this one day?

_I could tell them my car is broken. Or that I’m out of the country. Or unable to come in because of explosive diarrhea._

A voice picking up on the other line interrupted her thoughts.

“McDonald’s on 5th, this is Ty, how can I help you?”

“Hey… uh, hey Ty, it’s Asami,” Asami croaked in a voice that sounded like she had just woken up. It was wishful thinking, but maybe if they thought that they had ruined her sleep, they’d feel bad and tell her to go back to bed.

“Oh Asami. Thank Jesus! How soon can you be here? The two new people didn’t show up for their shift and it’s just me, Opal and Noatak working. We’re getting slaughtered,” Ty said hurriedly.

_DAMMIT. DAMMIT. DAMMIT._

Maybe she could lie her way out of this.

_Just do it, Asami. Lie. Tell them you’re swimming with dolphins or in middle of a fencing class._

“Asami? Are you there?” Ty’s voice came.

 _But poor Opal...they all must be so overwhelmed…_ _and it’s not like you have a good reason not to go in. You’re just being selfish._

“I can be there in 20 minutes,” Asami said flatly, her conscience getting the better of her as usual. She’d show up, but she wouldn’t be overly happy about it.

“Thanks so much. You’re a lifesaver. See you soon!” Ty said, sounding very relieved as she hung up the phone.

Asami let out a sigh, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

“Why do you always do the right thing?” she said aloud.

_Time for hell on Earth, Round Two._


	4. Turn of Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Asami's day get any worse?

“I DON’T WANT YOUR DAMN COUPON, I WANT A REFUND! ARE YOU HARD OF HEARING?”

Asami tried her best not to back-hand the customer that was practically spitting in her face. He looked to be about 50, and his face was beet red, having got himself worked up over getting pickles on his burger when he had “specifically asked for none”. His fists were clenched and an angry vein was pulsing in his forehead, and Asami decided to try and further defuse the situation rather than coerce that vein into bursting.

“I apologize sir, but I am not authorized to give out a refund. Would you like a new burger, free of charge?” she said, keeping her tone neutral, _polite_ even, though he deserved far worse treatment.

Asami really couldn’t believe that the guy was throwing such a fit over a stupid hamburger. It was 7:30 PM, and they were in midst of a rush, and though the few crew members that were actually there tried their absolute best to make orders fast and accurate, they were still human, and mistakes were bound to happen. But mistakes were not acceptable to the customer in front of Asami. And neither, apparently, were offers of a new burger free of charge.

He laughed, his tone condescending as he licked his lips and leaned in towards Asami.

“Listen, sweetie. _Asami,_ ” he sneered mockingly as he looked at her nametag.

Asami’s anger flared. She _hated_ when customers used her name.

“I’m getting real sick of your attitude. Haven’t you heard? The customer is always right. Now give me my refund or I’m writing a horrible review of this place on the internet.”

He straightened, satisfied with himself, and clearly expecting the refund, as if his rude words had changed Asami’s mind. And seriously? His threat was to write a bad review on the internet? As if she cared. She tried to put herself in the man’s shoes and empathize with him, but she knew that she would never throw such a tantrum at a fast food restaurant over something so frivolous. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to make up for the error. She was growing more and more agitated by the second.

For one, she had been here since 8:30 AM, aka WAY TO EFFING LONG. Two, they were extremely short-staffed because stupid ass people neglected to show up to their shift. Of course, this meant that the responsible people had to pay for it by coming in and covering. Needless to say, it had already been a shit day, and this guy was making it worse.

Asami couldn’t forget her professionalism though. Yes, she was pissed, but was this guy worth losing her job over?

“Listen sir, I apologize again for the mistake we made. If you do not want the item replaced, perhaps I could offer you a coupon for any menu item for free?” she said, changing tactics and brandishing a coupon with a smile worthy of an actress in a toothpaste commercial. She figured the sooner this guy was appeased, the sooner he’d shut up.

“ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME.” he said, pounding his fist on the counter with every word. He was beginning to draw the stares of the other people eating in the restaurant.

“Please, sir, there’s no need to---“ Asami tried to say before he rudely cut her off.

“NO. YOU LISTEN TO ME. YOU GO GET YOUR MANAGER RIGHT NOW. I DEMAND IT!” he roared, and a woman that had just opened the door into the restaurant took one look at the yelling man before walking right back out.

Great. Now they were scaring nice customers away because this one was being an asshole. Asami was done being polite.

“Maybe sir, you should just take the pickles off the burger and eat it. Did you think of that? Or, if you hate it here so much, there’s a Subway down the street. Do you want me to walk you there like a child, since you are throwing a tantrum like one?” Asami said, and with every word she spoke the man’s eyes grew wider.

“WHY---YOU----“ he sputtered before Asami felt a hand on her shoulder.

“What seems to be the problem here?” said a voice behind her. 

 _SHIT._ It was her manager, Noatak. He stepped forward and Asami tensed up as she always did when her boss was around. She prayed that Noatak had not heard what she had just said to the customer.

The angry man immediately jumped into action. “Your incompetent staff ruined my food and then this cashier here has been of no help, and god-awful rude at that!”

Noatak regarded him evenly before turning to Asami. “Asami?”

Asami relaxed a little, grateful that Noatak was hearing her out. “The customer ordered a burger with no pickles. We accidentally served him a burger with pickles. The customer became angry and demanded a refund. Since that is against our policy, I offered him a free replacement item, or a coupon for a free menu item, both offers that he refused.”

Noatak stayed silent for a moment, considering her words before turning to the customer. “Is this true? Asami offered you a free replacement item, or a different free item all together and you refused?”

The customer began to shrink a little, looking embarrassed now that his idiocy was being spelled out in plain English. “Well…I, uh…”

A younger man stepped up to the counter and slapped a one dollar bill in front of the complaining customer, fixing him with an annoyed gaze.

“ _I’ll_ give you a refund so you’ll shut the hell up. Give me a break. It’s one dollar. A hamburger is _one stinking dollar_. Now leave these poor people alone and let the rest of us eat in peace,” he said tiredly. The young man shook his head and returned to his seat, leaving the complaining customer with a dumb look on his face.

Asami had to try her absolute not to laugh gleefully at the wonderful turn of events.

“Is everything settled, then?” Noatak said, and the customer nodded, keeping his eyes to the ground, as he quickly hurried out of the restaurant, his one dollar bill in hand.

Asami sighed, smiling at Noatak.

“Thanks,” she said, grateful that he had come to her aid, and even more grateful that he hadn’t heard what she had said to the customer.

“You’re welcome. And don’t think I didn’t hear your last comment to that man,” he said seriously, until he cracked a smile at the look of pure fear on Asami’s face. “But I’ll let it slide just this once, since he needed a taste of his own medicine. It’s only fair.”

“Thank you,” Asami found herself saying again. She was damn lucky that Noatak was known for being one of the best managers to work with. Most of the other managers would just cave in to the customer and give them what they wanted, completely throwing the employee under the bus, but Noatak liked to keep things equal, a trait that Asami was now beginning to truly appreciate.

“It’s no problem. It looks like the rush has quieted down. I’ll be in the office if anyone needs me” he said, smiling at her kindly before he made his way to the back room.

“Asami!” Opal called from the food prep area.

Asami didn’t see any customers that needed help for the time being, so she obliged Opal by poking her head around the corner, trying to talk to her and keep an eye on the front counter at the same time.

“What’s up?” Asami said.

“You have to tell me what just happened! I could hear shouting from back here!” Opal grinned excitedly. Opal secretly loved when stuff like this happened; sometimes her shifts could become very dull, so customer outbursts usually made her day. Which was easy for her to say, since she wasn’t the one dealing with them.

“You put pickles on some guy’s burger when he didn’t want any, and he blew up at me,” Asami said, feigning anger. “Thanks A LOT.”

“Oh come on, you know that made the shift go by just a little bit faster. Only half an hour left!” Opal teased. “You’re welcome.”

Asami couldn’t argue with that. The man’s fit had shaved a good fifteen minutes off the clock, so that it was now 7:45 PM. That meant only fifteen minutes left. She had forgotten their location closed early on the weekend.

“Oh my gosh Opal – this means we can start closing!” Asami said, smiling. “I am so happy right now – I cannot wait to get out of here!”

“I’m leaving, guys,” Ty said behind Asami as she pulled off her visor and headed out the back door. “Thanks for coming in today. Go team.”

“How come she gets to leave right now? I wouldn’t mind leaving while she closed,” Opal grumbled quietly.

“Opal, you’re forgetting that she’s a supervisor, and supervisors get to do whatever the hell they want,” Asami said bitterly.

That left just her, Opal and Noatak to close up shop.

“Ladies, I’m heading out for the night,” Noatak popped up out of nowhere, quickly walking towards the back door. “I’ve got to take care of some things before tomorrow. Thanks for covering for the newbies today,” he said with a smile, disappearing out the door.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” Opal said louder now that it was just her and Asami.

“Well, he’s a manager. He can definitely do whatever the hell he wants,” Asami said, already resigning herself to the fate of the closing the restaurant with Opal.

“But it doesn’t mean that he should. Like, come on! I think we’ve more than done our share for today,” Opal said, becoming angrier by the second. “I’ve been here for eleven hours with one break! I’m supposed to be at my sister-in-law’s right now. I never get to see her.”

Asami studied her apologetically. Opal never really asked for anything. She was always there to cover for people and help them out at work but never seemed to catch a break for herself.

Asami looked over her shoulder and saw that the last lingering patrons had filtered out of the restaurant, and with five minutes left to go on the clock till eight, she doubted any drive-thru customers would show up. She decided to help her friend out. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

“You know what? Why don’t you go home now? I can close up tonight,” Asami said, putting a reassuring hand on Opal’s shoulder. “You deserve a break, seriously.”

Opal looked utterly torn for a moment. “But that’s not fair to you…”

“But I offered. And I can more than handle closing up alone. It’s basically what I do every time Ryu is working,” she said, grimacing at the thought of her lazy as hell co-worker, and Opal chuckled.

“In that case, I think I’ll take you up on the offer,” Opal said, smiling brightly. “Thank you so much, Asami. I owe you one.”

“Oh please, you don’t owe me anything! Your friendship is enough,” Asami joked, pulling Opal by the arm. “Now get out of here!”

“Okay, okay,” Opal laughed, grabbing her purse from the rack on the wall. “Call me if you need me to come back, all right?”

“Definitely. Enjoy the night!” Asami called as Opal took out her keys and made her way out towards the front door.

 _Or at least, what little is left of it,_ she thought sadly.

After Opal left, Asami went to the drive-thru windows to lock them up. As she began turning the nearby machines to OFF, she heard the front door swing open, and couldn’t help but smile.

“Just can’t get enough of this place, huh, Opal?” she called out, turning around to see A FREAKING CUSTOMER.

And not just any customer, but KORRA minus her drunk friends.

_ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? WHAT IS WITH THIS GIRL AND HORRIBLE TIMING?_

Asami’s smile faltered a little. Her first instinct was to repeat the word “No. No. No.” to this girl but instead she kind of just stared at her, willing her to turn around and leave her to close in peace.

“Still open?” Korra said with a grin, slightly out of breath from rushing in.

 _Can’t exactly refuse service on the grounds of YOU ARE ANNOYING_ , Asami thought.

She forced a smile at Korra. “Just barely,” she said, unable to keep some of the admonishment out of her tone.

Korra’s smile faltered a bit. “Sorry, I can leave. I know you want to close, and I just…I know I’m late but I…”

She trailed off, looking down at the counter. “You know what, never mind. Have a good night.”

Asami’s heart sank as she watched Korra go from hopeful and happy to utterly dejected within the span of 10 seconds.

_Stop being such a jerk, Asami. And you are technically open for one more minute anyway. She’s not in the wrong, you are._

“Wait!” she called out to Korra’s retreating back. “Wait. I’m sorry, I was being really bitchy, Korra. You didn’t deserve that.”

Korra turned around and practically skipped back to the counter, looking slightly relieved. “It’s okay. Long day?”

Asami sighed. “Oh yes. The longest.”

Korra frowned a bit. “Sorry to hear that. Shitty days are the worst.”

“That they are,” Asami said, with a smile.

_If only you knew the shit I had to deal with today._

 “So, let me guess: you want a chocolate and vanilla swirl cone?”

Korra laughed. “Am I that predictable?”

“Yes, you are,” Asami said, chuckling as she turned to go make the cone.

“But actually—“ Korra called out and Asami poked her head around the corner to meet her eyes.

“I need two.”

“Two?” Asami repeated, eyebrow raised.

“Yeah! Don’t judge me, I’m hungry.” Korra said.

“Oh, no judgment here. I can put away a bag of Doritos like no other,” Asami said as she filled the cones with soft-serve goodness before returning to the counter and handing them off to Korra, who was fixing her with an intense stare.

“Cool Ranch or Nacho Cheese?” Korra said dead seriously.

Asami paused, nervous to answer with the scrutinized glare Korra was giving her.

_Uhhhh…_

“Nacho Cheese, of course,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Get out,” Korra said, mock serious. She put a cone down to point to the door.

“What?!” Asami let out a laugh. “I work here! You get out!”

“Cool Ranch is where it’s at!” Korra smiled, shaking her head at Asami’s choice.

“No way. Absolutely not,” Asami said as she closed out the cash register, now that it was 8:00.

“Yes way!” Korra said. “The Nacho Cheese is so boring. And they taste like Play-Doh.”

“What? That’s ridiculous. I’ve never heard that in my life. Plus, Cool Ranch tastes like cat food,” Asami said, wrinkling her nose.

“How do you know what cat food tastes like?” Korra fired back, eye brow raised.

“How do you know what Play-Doh tastes like?!” Asami countered, looking up at Korra, then down as she noticed the cones dripping down Korra’s hands.

She contained a laugh as she regarded Korra silently for a few seconds.

“Are you gonna eat those?” she said, nodding to the melting soft-serve.

“Oh, these…?” Korra said sheepishly, her cheeks coloring a bit. “Well, I actually got two because…”

She wiggled the one in her left hand. “One for me…” then the right hand, “and one for you!”

“Really?” Asami was completely surprised.

“Yeah, I owe you. And I told you I’d make it up to you for all those times I ruined your closing time. So in my head I was going to come in and be cool and buy you ice cream. And you were supposed to say, ‘Who’s the other one for?’ And I was going to say, ‘You!’ And then we could sit outside and talk. But all I’ve succeeded in doing is ruining your closing time, AGAIN, and getting melted ice cream all over the counter,” Korra finished, staring at the drops of soft-serve that were accenting the counter.

“Hmm…” Asami said aloud. She could use some time to vent. And since Korra didn’t really know any of her co-workers or anything, I’d be therapeutic. She could complain without having to worry if Korra would blab to a manager or something. And Korra seemed pretty easy-going, and thoughtful, hence the cones. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to hang out with her a bit.

“Well, we can still do that. Go outside and talk, I mean. I don’t think those cones are going to live long enough to join us,” Asami said, wiping off the accumulating mess on the counter.

The side of Korra’s mouth turned up into a smile. “Got it. I’ll ditch the cones. Want me to get you something else to eat? You want some chicken nuggets or something?”

Asami found herself containing a laugh again. Not really because anything Korra said was particularly funny. Moreso because she was just so nice. And…kind of eager to hang out with Asami. Which felt good.

“Nah, I don’t really want to eat anything from here. Maybe we could go somewhere else?”

Korra perked up instantly. “Have you ever been to my bagel shop?”

Asami’s eyebrows raised. “You have a bagel shop?”

Korra backtracked a little. “Well, kinda sorta. It’s my parents’ bagel shop. I just work there. It’s called Senna’s, just down the street actually!”

Asami thought about it. She had driven past Senna’s before but had never went in. It was a cute shop, painted a pale blue with white accents, and it was always decorated so cute around Christmas. Asami enjoyed the giant inflatable polar bear they put out next to the shop during the holiday season. She decided that she would love to see the inside and try out the food.

“That sounds good! Is it still open, though?” Asami said.

“No, but I have a key. It’ll just be the two of us! I can whip up some food and coffee or tea, whatever you want. It’ll be awesome,” Korra smiled.

Asami returned her smile, feeling a burst of energy coming on. She wanted to close up fast so that she could go with Korra. She was absolutely starving and a fresh bagel sounded divine.

“I’m in. Let me close up quick – I’ll meet you outside,” Asami said. It was 8:10. Usually, she and Opal would have the place closed up by 8:20, but it’d be a bit longer today since it was just her. Probably more around 8:30 PM.

Korra frowned. “Can’t I help you at all?”

“Sadly, no. If management saw that I let a customer back here to help me do my job they would shit themselves and probably fire me. But thank you, really,” Asami said sincerely with a smile.

“That’s crap. But I get it. I’ll meet you outside then? We can walk together to the shop. It’s really only 10 minutes away,” Korra said, putting her hands in her pockets.

“Perfect!” Asami said. “See you in a few.”

“See ya,” Korra waved, heading out.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” she said, whirling around. “What’s your name?”

“My name?” Asami said, frowning and looking down at her nametag. “It’s right here!”

“I know. But I didn’t want to make you feel weird by reading your nametag and then using your name, without you introducing yourself to me. I always hate when random customers use my name at work. Makes me feel awkward,” Korra said.

“Well, I’m Asami. Asami Sato. Nice to meet you,” she said, laughing as Korra came up to her and shook her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Asami Sato. I’ll be waiting for you!” Korra grinned before going outside.

Asami was surprised to find that her previously sour mood had been effectively lightened by Korra.

 _How ironic_ , she thought as she hurried through her closing checklist. _The girl who made me get out of work way too late last night is the one to make my horrible day today a little bit brighter._

And for once, much to her surprise, after catching a glimpse of Korra waving at her from the picnic table outside, she didn’t care that her closing time was ruined. Not one bit.


	5. So Good You'll Want to Jump on the Table

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of a beautiful friendship

When Korra opened the door for Asami and flipped on a few of the lights within _Senna’s_ , Asami gasped out loud at the beautiful ambiance, much to Korra’s amusement.

She had left the main ceiling lights off on purpose, instead turning on the string lights bordering the ceiling and the lanterns that hung on the walls by the tables. Combined with the dusky glow settling in from outside, the effect was relaxing and charming, just what Asami needed.

“Cool, huh?” Korra said, leading Asami to her favorite spot in the corner. Asami’s eyes widened in surprise as she realized that they were heading toward a boat a bit larger than a kayak, re-purposed into a booth with a table in the middle and seating on either side. As she slid into a seat, her eyes roamed over the objects adorning the wall. There were knives that looked to be made out of some type of stone or wood, and an old picture of a man and woman smiling next to a sled and a dwelling made out of compacted snow in the background.

Korra smiled at Asami’s clear fascination.

“Those are my grandparents, on my dad’s side. He was born in Greenland and raised in Canada; that’s actually where all this cool stuff comes from,” Korra said, waving at the things on the wall.

“Those knives were made by my father when he was a boy, out of walrus ivory. And this boat we’re sitting in is a replica of a boat my grandparents used to have for transporting goods,” she continued, tapping the side of the boat.

“Wow. This is _amazing_. And this is just a replica...I can’t even imagine how beautiful the actual framework must have been. I just…to fashion something like this without out the help of a machine…” Asami trailed off, lost in her thoughts as she imagined creating a boat like the one she was sitting in. To her, someone who only knew metal and machines and technology, a boat of this design was a masterpiece.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how is a boat like this made?” Asami said, looking up at Korra after a quick inspection of the floor of the boat.

“Really?” Korra said, surprised but very happy. “Usually when people come to this booth they don’t really care about the history of it. They just like taking selfies in it and telling me that “Igloo” is spelled wrong on the picture.”

As Asami squinted closer, she could see that a few symbols unknown to her were etched into the wood frame, and a golden tag below the photo read _ila iglu_.

“I’m guessing that’s the spelling in the native language?” Asami asked.

“Yup. It means family house, but people don’t care about that. I remember some kids actually had the nerve to say that this was America so we should be spelling _iglu_ the American way, like igloo with two o's,” Korra said, shrugging it off with the air of a person who’d long since become immune to the stupidity of the public. "I mean, it's whatever, but since it's a family thing, I thought it was kind of rude to say that to my face."

“It's more than rude. It's completely insensitive!” Asami said, frowning.

“Yeah, people are ass wipes,” Korra sighed in agreement before continuing, and Asami let out a laugh at her choice of insult, causing Korra to shake her head with a smile.

“So, to answer your question, the frame was always hand made using bone or wood. I know my dad said my grandfather always preferred to lash the material together. Said it kept the boat sturdy,” Korra said fondly, patting the side of the boat as Asami listened intently.

“Once the framework was built, they’d stretch a seal skin over it and presto, you’ve got yourself a kick ass boat!” Korra said.

“When you say it like that, it sounds easy. The amount of sheer skill and manual labor that goes into building a frame out of organic material like that is just really something,” Asami said. She’d have to tell her dad about it next time he called.

 _Maybe this is even worth a visit_ , she thought, already wondering how she’d describe a thing of such beauty with mere words. _I’ll probably have to make a sketch for him…_

Asami was brought back into present-day by Korra poking her arm with the corner of a menu.

“Can I help you?” Asami teased, plucking the menu from Korra’s fingers.

“No, I need to help _you_. Pick something, anything from the menu and I’ll make it!” Korra said, waiting expectantly as Asami perused the menu, skipping over **_Classics_ ** and **_Sandwiches_** to land on **_Flavors of the World_** :

**_Travel the world from your table with Senna’s Signature Flavors of the World bagels. Each fresh-baked bagel is either topped or infused with different spices and flavors from around the globe. New choices every month!_ **

**_\--_ **

**_Oh Hey, Ceviche!_ **

Before reading any further Asami stopped and raised her eyebrow at Korra.

“Oh Hey, Ceviche?” she said smirking.

Korra scowled. “Don’t look at me! My dad insisted on naming this month’s Signatures.”

Asami chuckled a bit before continuing reading where she left off.

_A thin onion bagel toasted to perfection dusted with chili powder and topped with our house made ceviche featuring shrimp caught fresh from Yue Bay. Inspired by the coastal regions of Latin America, this bagel is served with a wedge of lime._

Asami thought it looked good, but she wasn’t quite in the mood for seafood, so she continued on.

**_Voyage with Varenye_ **

_One of Senna’s Famous Sugar Bagels is served alongside sour cherry varenye, a syrupy treat from Eastern Europe. Limited quantities available!_

Tempting, tempting. Asami _was_ in the mood for something sweet, but decided to read a bit more.

**_Better Believe it’s Baba Ghannouj_ **

_You’ll love this Levantine inspired sesame seed bagel baked with thyme and sumac and topped with house made baba ghannouj, a delightful dip made with eggplant and a host of other vegetables._

“Hmm…” Asami contemplated aloud, tapping her chin. She was just about to settle on the Voyage with Varenye when a block of glittery bubble letters caught her eye at the bottom corner of the menu:

**_Korra’s So-Good-You’ll-Want-To-Jump-On-The-Table Bagel_ **

_The only bagel able to cure Korra’s insatiable sweet tooth, this dark chocolate bagel is topped with chocolate chip cream cheese and chopped chocolate covered strawberries, doused with fresh whipped cream and drizzled with hot fudge. You’ll need a fork for this one._

Asami immediately put down the menu and looked at Korra, unable to fight a smile as she stated what she wanted.

“I’ll have ‘Korra’s So-Good-You’ll-Want-To-Jump-On-The-Table Bagel’, please,” she said, laughing as Korra’s face lit up.

“Really?!? No one’s ever ordered it before!” she said, already jumping up from the booth in excitement.

“When people see it on the menu they always ask who Korra is, and I’m just like, hello, it’s me, I work here, like, everyday…” she said, rolling her eyes. “My parents don’t even want it on the menu, but I’m telling you, it’s amazing. Are you sure you can handle all the chocolate?”

“Trust me, chocolate is my addiction,” Asami promised her before backtracking. “Well, that and caffeine. But regardless, I think I can handle it.”

“If you say so,” Korra said, grinning as she bounced on her toes. “I’ll be back before you can say the name of the bagel!”

Asami laughed again as Korra hurried to the food prep area, disappearing from view. She was surprised at how much fun she was having with Korra. She had expected the usual small talk, crap about the weather, school, and all that kind of stuff from her, especially considering that the only times they had previously met were through a Drive-Thru window. But the walk to Senna’s had been just as pleasant as the time Asami was having now.

Korra had cut through all the bullshit, asking Asami stuff like “so do you like to shower in the morning or at night?” and “If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?” to spark conversation between the two. Not that there was really anything to spark. Words flowed easily between the pair, the few silences that passed never turning awkward and comments and interjections never feeling out of place. Asami had felt more relaxed and unguarded then she had in a long time, and she owed it to Korra’s fun questions, thoughtful responses and easy smile.

Who would have thought that her most annoying customer would turn out to be so cool?

While she waited for Korra, Asami took her phone out of her purse to text Opal, smiling when she saw that she already had a few messages waiting for her from her friend:

**8:35 PM Asami! Hope closing went okay. Thanks againnn.**

**9:22 PM Btw Kuvira said you should stop by later if ur not busy sulking over iroh**

**9:24 PM Her words not mine**

Asami smirked at her phone. She had forgotten that Opal was going to her sister-in-law’s club, aptly titled _Kuv_.'s It was owned by Opal’s mom, Su, and managed by Kuvira and her husband/Opal’s brother Baatar Jr. The club was famous for it’s karaoke nights and frequently topped the “Best Of” lists in Republic City’s Dining and Entertainment magazines.

“Almost done!” Korra shouted from the back, and Asami smiled. She didn’t feel like going to _Kuv’s_ alone, but maybe Korra would go with her if she wasn’t busy later tonight.

She began typing a reply to Opal:

**That sounds fun. I’ve got nothing planned. I’m actually hanging out with someone, might bring them along.**

She got a response no more than a few seconds after her message sent.

**A BOY????!!**

Asami raised her eyebrows in alarm at her friend’s reaction.

**Um no. It’s the girl from the drive-thru that is always driving those drunk guys and effing up our closing time. Korra. She’s pretty cool.**

Again, Opal’s response came fast:

**Korra? Oh yeah. She is cool. Her friends aren’t. Bring her! We can all drag Iroh together.**

Asami smiled as she typed out a last message to Opal:

**I’ll see what I can do ;)**

“BAM!” Korra yelled, setting a plate down in front of a startled Asami.

“You’re about to indulge in a culinary piece of art,” Korra said proudly, sitting back down across from Asami.

Asami couldn’t deny that. The bagel looked more beautiful than any piece of bread had any right to.

The bagel itself was colored a rich brown, and the thick layer of chocolate chip cream cheese resembled cookie dough, one of Asami’s absolute favorite things.

In the middle of the bagel stood a sizeable tower of whipped cream, piled perfectly, and bordering it were thinly sliced chocolate covered strawberries. A syrupy drizzle of hot fudge topped off the masterpiece, and the more Asami looked at it, the more she kinda felt bad about eating it.

“You know, I kind of want to take a picture of it,” Asami said, almost in awe of the sight before her.

“Please do. Send it to all your friends. Make it your background. Set it as my contact photo,” Korra said.

“Oh yeah, okay, sure. Sounds good,” Asami played along, light, teasing sarcasm tracing her tone.

“ _Except_ I don’t have you in my phone yet,” Asami said, pulling it out of her purse once more.

“Do you want me in your phone?” Korra said a bit uneasily. “I mean, I get if you’re only here because I’m giving you free food to make up for me and my friends being douchebags. You don’t have to, like, feel obligated to talk to me after this. We’d be kind of even.”

“Nah, I’m actually enjoying my time with you. We could probably become really good friends. Maybe. Type in your number?” Asami teased, pushing her phone towards Korra who took it with a somewhat relieved smile and began typing in her number.

Asami swiped her pinky finger around the plate, scooping up some hot fudge to taste while Korra finished. She was becoming impatient the longer Korra took.

_I mean, really. All she had to do was type in her name and number._

“Korra, hurry up! I need to take a picture so that I can—“

“REALLY?” Asami exclaimed as the flash from her phone momentarily blinded her. Korra had taken a picture of her with her pinky in her mouth, absentmindedly sampling. And of course, the bagel itself was front in center.

“You wanted a picture! Now you’ve got one,” Korra laughed, sliding the phone back to Asami who looked at the picture in disgust.

She contemplated deleting it for a moment but Korra found it so entertaining that she decided to keep it.

“You looked like some kind of prissy food connoisseur or something! It was right before you told me to hurry up so you look very intense,” Korra kept laughing.

“Ha ha, very funny. Now you owe me for being mean,” Asami said, picking up a fork and knife and began cutting a piece of bagel.

“What! I just made you a kick-ass bagel!” Korra exclaimed, gesturing at the food before Asami.

“And as you said yourself, that was to make up for pissing me off at work. Now you’re just adding on to that,” Asami smiled at Korra’s bewildered expression, lifting the first bite of bagel to her lips.

And damn was it good.

 _Every chocolate lover’s dream,_ Asami thought as she closed her eyes while she chewed.

“That good, huh?” Korra said after Asami opened her eyes.

“I mean, it was okay,” Asami said, even as she quickly cut another piece, dipping it in some hot fudge that had collected on the side of the bagel.

“Yeah, okay my ass, you love it!” Korra said, stealing a strawberry from Asami’s plate and popping it into her mouth.

“Iwuvit,” Asami confirmed through a mouthful of bagel as Korra laughed at her.

The pair didn’t speak as Asami finished, Korra folding a napkin into random shapes, crumpling it, then repeating the process until Asami took her last delightful bite.

“Sorry, when the food is really good sometimes I forget to make conversation,” Asami said, opening the water bottle that Korra handed her and took a sip.

Korra shook her head wistfully. “A woman after my own heart,” she said, and Asami rolled her eyes and smiled.

“No, seriously, one time my friend Bolin and I went out to get burgers, and this burger Asami, I’m telling you, it was amazing. Like juicy, and perfect, and…” Korra broke off with a sigh.

“Basically sex?” Asami offered.

“Basically. Better, even. Anyway, it was super good. And I was really into it. But here’s Bolin: “Korra, I asked you how work was. Korra, what do you want to do later? Korra, Korra, Korra,” she scowled.

“I love the kid, but man, when I’m enjoying food that good sometimes I just want to do it in peace, you know? I don’t want to be rushing to finish a bite because I have to reply to someone,” Korra said.

Asami looked at Korra like she was speaking a grand revelation. “It’s so true. I feel the same way! I was just never able to put it into words like that,” Asami said. “ _But_ as beautiful as those words were, I haven’t forgotten that you owe me. And I want to call the favor in now.”

Korra bit her lip nervously.

“ _Please_ don’t make me rotate your tires,” she pleaded.

“What?” Asami said, confused.

_Rotate my tires?_

“Nothing! Carry on,” Korra recovered quickly, internally breathing a sigh of relief. She had a hunch that Asami was going to make her do some kind of manual labor to cash in her favor, but she was glad that she was wrong.

“Okay, you’re so weird. Anyway, my friend wants us to go down to _Kuv’s_ to hang out a bit. Want to come with me?” Asami said, clasping her hands together and giving Korra and angelic smile.

“Don’t I not have a choice since this is the favor that I owe you?” Korra said, raising an eyebrow.

Asami’s smile immediately disappeared at Korra’s sassiness. She decided to change tactics, giving Korra her best sad-eyes and pout.

“Please? I’m having fun with you and I don’t want this…night…to end…?” she tried, mentally slapping herself.

_What the fuck Asami? This isn’t some romantic date. Who’s the weirdo now?_

Luckily for her, Korra found the comment amusing. “Well when you say it like that, how can I say no? I’m down, just let me clean up and we can head out?”

“YES!” It was Asami’s turn to jump out of the booth excitedly.

“Asami, no!” Korra called, stepping out of the booth as well.

“For the second time tonight: _what?_ ” Asami said, wrinkling her eyebrows in confusion at Korra.

“You have to jump on the table, because the bagel was so good!” Korra said, hopping up on the table. She held a hand out for Asami to join her.

“Are you serious?” Asami said.

“I think I look pretty serious,” Korra teased, gesturing at herself standing on the table.

Asami shrugged, and, unable to resist Korra’s lopsided grin, took her hand as she pulled her up to the table.

“CAN YOU FEEL THE POWER? WE’RE ON TOP OF THE WORLD!” Korra yelled, throwing her arms into the air.

“Uh…I feel like we’re going to break this table if we stand on it any longer…” Asami said uneasily as the table gave a loud groan beneath them.

“Shit, you’re right, no more table time,” Korra said hurriedly, jumping off and helping Asami down.

“Well, fun the few seconds it lasted, hey?” Korra said, hands on her hips.

Asami fixed her with a skeptical look, arms crossed.

“Okay, okay. Let me go wash this dish and then we can leave. Don’t miss me too much!” Korra said with a smile over her shoulder as she left to clean up.

“Oh, I’ll try my very best,” Asami gave her an amused smirk, taking out her phone once Korra was gone:

**Hey Opal, Korra’s in. We’re on our way!**

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET'S GO TO KUV'S


	6. Small Talk

“Nice ride,” Korra said as she settled in Asami’s car, closing the door.

“Oh, this old thing?” Asami said despite her smile, fixing her review mirror before slowly pulling out of the McDonald’s parking lot after they’d walked back from Senna’s.

Korra scoffed, turning and running her hands along the leather seat.

“Old? Please. This has got to be a 2015,” she said. She didn’t know a whole lot about cars but _damn,_ this one was nice and it had to be a new model. No car from even the early 2000’s could possibly look this good.

The outside of the car was a shiny black, with sharp angles and lights, and the inside was equipped with black leather seats with white trim, and a giant GPS screen stood on standby next to the dashboard. Korra had thought her bagel was a thing of beauty but Asami’s car was putting it to shame right now.

“Yeah, this is a 2015 Maxima. Custom paint, a few other mods…I reupholstered the inside, put in the diamond plated floor mats, some ECU reprogramming, you know,” Asami said.

 _No, not really_ , Korra thought, thinking of her beaten up ’01 Honda Civic back home. She rarely used it – she preferred to bike or walk or carpool with Mako and Bolin, because her driving skills left much to be desired. It had taken her four times to pass her driving test, and even after that, she had the feeling that the instructor had passed her out of pity, because, well…Korra may or may not have broken down in desperate tears towards the end of the test.

The few times she had taken her car out, she’d banged it up pretty good by hitting nearly every curb in existence and smashing corners when she turned into fast food drive-thrus.

“I’ve got better ones though,” Asami said as she pulled out of the parking lot.

“What? You have more than one car?” Korra said, unable to keep the shock from her voice.

“Two more. A modified ’69 Camaro and another car completely of my father and I’s design,” Asami said affectionately, like she was talking about a baby or something.

“Forgive me for asking, but isn’t that expensive?” Korra couldn’t help but blurt out. Her car had been a gift from her parents, but she did have to pay close to two hundred dollars in insurance every month, and she was well aware of how much car payments cost because of Mako and Bolin. She couldn’t imagine owning more than one car.

“Nah. The two that I have in storage are all paid for. My father and I used to work on cars together and used to be pretty well off a while ago. Then things kinda got…messy. He had to leave and so I started leasing this car. The other two are not really made for every day driving. Well, at least the Camaro,” Asami said, rolling the windows down a bit.  

“And the other one? The one that you and your dad designed?” Korra asked, watching the streetlights pass by as Asami drove.

“That one needs a bit more work still. I was waiting for him to…get back from his business trip, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take it on a few test drives. Maybe I can take you for a spin sometime,” Asami said, glancing at Korra with a playful smirk.

“I wouldn’t mind that at all. I pretty much have no social life so feel free to call me any time,” Korra said, laughing a little, though she wasn’t really joking. Besides working full time, she only really ever hung out with Mako and Bolin. She figured a new friend would be much welcome in her life, especially someone like Asami.

“All right, I’ll keep that in mind,” Asami said easily, rolling their windows down a little bit to let in some fresh air.

A comfortable silence fell between the two as some kind of Top 40 pop song played quietly on the radio.

Korra’s mind was abuzz with things she wanted to ask Asami. Or maybe not.

_Maybe I should keep quiet and let Asami drive in peace. But maybe Asami thinks the silence is awkward?_

Korra stole a look at Asami out of the corner of her eye, and the other girl seemed to be at ease, one hand loosely gripping the steering wheel while her other arm was draped out the window, her hair teased by the wind as she drove.

Asami had seemed to enjoy her random questions earlier on their walk from McDonald’s to Senna’s. Even when Korra had asked her one of the most random (and kind of personal?) questions she could think of, Asami had laughed and eagerly answered.

_“So how do you sleep at night?” Korra said, a bounce to her step as she walked with Asami, enjoying her company._

_“What do you mean, how do I sleep at night?” Asami asked, laughing._

_“I mean, how do you sleep at night? What do you wear, do you sleep on your back, do you sleep with a lot of blankets, you know!” Korra listed of matter-of-factly._

_“Well now that you explained it, yeah, I know,” Asami teased. “So, to answer your question, I sleep naked.”_

_Korra paused, almost tripping. “Oh…”_

_She had not been expecting that answer, nor had she been prepared for the split second mental image of Asami stripping before climbing into bed. Her face reddened involuntarily, but Asami nudged her shoulder, making her feel at ease again._

_“Just kidding! And to think I rendered Ms. Chatterbox here speechless for a moment. Score one for Asami,” she said haughtily._

_“Oh please, just answer the question,” Korra rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile._

_“I sleep in shorts and a tank top, I cuddle a pillow at night, I sleep on my side, and I like a lot of blankets because I get cold fast,” Asami said, glancing at Korra. “What about you?”_

_“Hmm…” Korra mumbled, thinking as she kicked a pebble while they walked. “Pretty much the same as you. Except I wear pants and a tank top, I sleep on my stomach, and I only sleep with one blanket.”_

_Asami laughed again, casting an amused look at Korra. “You do realize that’s nowhere near the same as me, right?”_

_Korra frowned. “Oh, yeah…you’re right. Sorry!”_

_“S’okay,” Asami said, reaching over to fix the hood on Korra’s sweatshirt that had turned inside out. “Now ask me some more questions!”_

_And Korra did._

Korra took one last look at Asami before gathering her courage and breaking the silence.

“So what’s your favorite kind of pizza?” she blurted.

Asami smiled a bit before breaking out into a full out grin with a shake of her head, almost as if she’d been waiting for Korra to ask her something.

“Good question. And with that comes an answer longer and more elaborate than you probably planned for,” Asami said mysteriously.

Korra raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

“Oh yes,” Asami affirmed, setting her jaw. “Pizza is serious business.”

“A woman after my own fucking heart,” Korra said in awe. She’d never met someone as in to pizza as she was.

Asami smiled, taking a deep breath before she spoke. “Okay. So. I’m generally a fan of thin crust pizza across the board. That being said, I HATE when they overload sauce and toppings on a thin crust, because then it becomes soggy, and completely defeats the purpose of thin crust. Which is to be crunchy and delicious.”

She paused before continuing while Korra laughed, amused with her dead serious tone.

“I like more of a tangy tomato sauce rather than sweet, and I’m a real sucker for a good 4-cheese blend rather than the usual mozzarella. As for toppings, my all-time favorite combo is sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, and onions. But honestly, I will pretty much eat any type of pizza, so everything I just described are real loose guidelines,” she finished before turning to Korra eagerly.

“Now you tell me yours!”

“Pan-style pizza, extra cheese, pepperoni, sausage and onion is my all-time fave. But like you, I will seriously eat any kind of pizza,” Korra said.

“Even anchovy?” Asami asked.

“Honestly, I’ve never tried anchovies on pizza before. So I’d be willing to give it a go,” Korra said.

“Actually, I would too,” Asami said thoughtfully. “I read somewhere that anchovies were one of the original toppings on pizza. Like, pre- “pile the pizza with melted mozzarella cheese” days, so anchovies would be added with more complimentary toppings like olive oil rather than sauce.”

“Huh,” Korra said. “Well maybe next time we hang out we should go get an anchovy pizza!” Korra said.

“We should totally do it. Then we can safely say we’ve actually had anchovies on pizza, which not a lot of people can,” Asami said, pulling into the parking lot of a club that seemed abuzz with patrons, the muffled bass from the music heard from outside.

The name of the building, _Kuv’s_ , stood out against the dusk in neon green letters on a large sign near the entrance.

“Aww, we’re here already?” Korra said dejectedly.

“Yeah, why, do you not want to go in?” Asami said, not turning the car off. “I can take us somewhere else if you’d like that better.”

Korra’s heart warmed at the concern in Asami’s voice, but her reason for being disappointed about their arrival was not very serious.

“No, it’s okay. I just wanted to keep talking about pizza. It’s one of my favorite topics,” she said with a sheepish grin.

Asami turned the ignition off, laughing a little. “You know that we can still talk about pizza once we go inside, right?”

“We can’t because we’ll be in public and it will be frowned upon if other people are trying to socialize with us and we’re just in our own world talking about pizza,” Korra pointed out.

“That sounds much more fun to me than socializing. Besides, when you meet Opal, I think you’ll find that she’s the type who will be just fine discussing pizza in-depth with us anyway.”

“Oh hell yes,” Korra said, unclicking her seatbelt and exiting the car.

She quickly made her way to the other side of the car to open Asami’s door for her, which she did just a tad dramatically.

“M’lady,” Korra said in a snooty voice, gesturing grandly as Asami got out of the car.

“Thank you, dork,” Asami said as Korra closed the door behind her.

“You’re welcome, dork,” Korra returned with a smile.

“Hey, I’m not a dork, you’re the dork,” Asami said defensively as they walked towards the front door.

“Really? Cuz I’m pretty sure you’re a little bit dorky,” Korra teased.

“Umm—“ Asami began to retort, but she was interrupted by a voice calling to them.

“Hey, dorks, get over here,” the voice said, popping out from around the corner.

“Opal!” Asami yelled happily as she spotted her friend, grabbing Korra’s hand as they hurried over to her.

“Allow me to get you guys in through the VIP room,” Opal bragged, opening a door on the side of the building for them.

“It’s the staff break room,” Asami whispered to Korra who snorted a laugh as they followed Opal in.

“SHUT UP ASAMI,” Opal said, losing the door behind the pair.

“Might want to turn on the lights, Opal,” Asami said as they stood in complete darkness.

“GETTING THERE, ASAMI,” Opal said loudly as she flipped on the lights, clearing her throat.

It was indeed the staff room, as they were surrounded by a few tables, a futon, and a small kitchen along with a television that wasn’t turned on.

“You think this is cool? Well, you haven’t seen _nothin_ ’ yet,” Opal said, and Korra shot Asami an amused glance, who rolled her eyes with a smile, shrugging at Opal’s antics.

“Just open the door to the club, Opal,” Asami said in a droll tone.

“I SAID SHUT UP ASAMI,” Opal shouted, but opened the door to the club anyway after shooting a death look at her friend.

Korra’s eyes widened as she stepped forward, ignoring Asami and Opal as they continued to bicker behind her.

“This. Is. _Awesome._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is short, but I wanted to post something. Thanks for being patient, everyone!


	7. OT3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami, Korra and Opal meet up at Kuv's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have never heard the song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen, please youtube it before reading this chapter, as the song appears in the beginning and the scene is a lot funnier if you know the song!

"KORRA, WAIT--!!” Opal shouted, a split second too late as Korra took a step out of the staff room, in awe of the club before her. She was promptly grabbed by the collar by a woman taller than her, black hair tied back into a neat bun and green eyes narrowed mischievously as the music quieted, and she spoke into a microphone,

“And HERE is the next performer for Kuv’s Karaoke Night!” she yelled, and the crowd cheered as Korra’s eyes grew wide, trying to back-track towards Asami and Opal.

“Asami!” she called as the woman shoved her onto the stage and handed her the microphone.

“Korra!” Asami yelled back, trying to make her way towards her new friend, but she was promptly shoved back by a palm in her face.

“Have fun!” the woman said to Korra as she pushed Asami back before grabbing her elbow and bringing her towards Opal.

 “So who is that?” she said, her perfectly sculpted eyebrows furrowing as she threw a thumb over her shoulder at Korra.

“Really, Kuvira?” Opal said. “You were supposed to make Asami go up there.”

Asami gasped at her friend in shock. “Opal! What the fuck!”

“No, see, the deal was that I bring out whoever stepped through the door first. So it’s _Rando Girl’s_ lucky day. And to think, she has you to thank, little sister-in-law,” Kuvira sneered with a too-sweet smile as a song began to play.

Opal and Asami peered around Kuvira as they recognized the opening beats of _Call Me Maybe_ instantly.

Korra looked absolutely petrified, like a deer in headlights as she clung to the microphone. “Uhh…I don’t know the words to this song really..?”

“Oh God,” Asami groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as Korra began to attempt to sing as the bass kicked in.

 “I heard the sea in a shell, I swear that I’ll never tell, uhh..I think I’m living in hell, cuz I don’t KNOW THIS SONG,” Korra stuttered along, trying to stay in tune as she squeezed her eyes shut.

“What is she doing?” Opal said. “Doesn’t she know the words are right in front of her on the screen?”

“We need to do something,” Asami said, taking Opal’s hand as they pushed through to the front of the crowd.”

“Heh heh heh la la la la, he he he ho ho ha ha,--“ Korra sang, trying her best to stay on beat.

“KORRA!” Asami yelled as Opal smacked the stage to get Korra’s attention.

“The words are up there!” Asami frantically pointed at the screen as Korra’s eyes snapped open.

“Oh, shit. _Fuck_ ,” Korra said, scrambling to keep up as the words lit up on screen.

“Mic’s still on…” Kuvira muttered to no one in particular as Korra caught up.

“Uh…okay, oh! Here we go: YOUR STARE IS HOLDING, RIPPED JEAAANS SKIN WAS SHOWING, HOT NIGHT WIND WAS BLOWING, WHERE YA THINK YA GOING BABYY” Korra screamed, and the blaring feedback from the microphone caused everyone in the club to cringe and almost drop their drinks. 

Opal and Asami felt themselves being pushed onto the stage as Kuvira growled, “Help her. _Now._ ”

“HEY, I JUST MET YOU,” Korra sang, pointing to the audience as Opal and Asami climbed onto the stage.

Opal promptly grabbed the microphone from Korra and threw her free hand in the air, striking a pose. “…and this is crazy!”

Asami tossed her hair over her shoulder, fixing the crowd with a smoldering gaze as she plucked the mic from Opal’s hand. “…but here’s my number…”

All of a sudden, Korra grabbed the mic and slid to her knees in front of Opal and Asami, throwing a “rock on” symbol up as she bellowed, “SO CALL ME MAYBE!!!”

The microphone screeched horribly, louder than the last time, and a few glasses could be heard shattering.

The music promptly cut out and Kuvira jogged onto the stage.

“All right everyone, I think that’s enough for now…karaoke will be back in a few, enjoy some live music until then!” Kuvira said with a smile, and after noticing the pissed off looks on the patron’s faces, added, “aaaand free shots for the next 10 minutes.”

That seemed to put a smile back on everyone’s face. Kuvira breathed a sigh of relief and made her way off stage, spotting Asami, Korra and Opal at a booth near the corner.

“Well, I clearly underestimated how terrible you all are at singing. Well, not so much Asami. But you and Opal, _Jesus_ , are you ever horrible,” Kuvira addressed the group, nodding at Korra with a grimace on her face.

Korra and Opal high fived.

“The name’s Korra. And you’ll be eating those words when we sign a record deal,” Korra said, smirking.

“Are you serious?” Kuvira asked, raising a brow.

“Um, yeah? Did you see the crowd? They were speechless!” Korra said, and Opal nodded in agreement, fixing Kuvira with challenging stare.

There was a beat of silence as Kuvira looked at Asami, who only shrugged in response. “And on that note, I am going to leave. I’ll check in with you all later.”

She turned on her heel, bracing herself to do some crowd control and smooth things over with the customers that almost surely had sustained some sort of hearing damage. 

_Hopefully they’ve taken advantage of my offer of free shots…that would make my job a lot easier…_

Just as soon as Kuvira was out of sight Opal burst out laughing. “Oh my gosh. That was amazing! She thought she was going to embarrass us, but instead, she gave us an awesome way to start off our friendship.”

“No better ice breaker than butchering a popular song together,” Korra said, taking a sip of water out of one of the glasses that a waiter had dropped by moments ago.

“Speak for yourself. I happen to think I nailed my line,” Asami bragged, crossing her arms nonchalantly.

“Delusional,” Opal whispered into Korra’s ear, causing her to bite back a laugh as Asami frowned.

“I heard that, Opal!”

“Asami, you know deep down that I love you,” Opal said, scooting over to Asami and holding her arm.

“You’re my best friend foreeeeever,” she cooed, mashing her cheek into Asami’s.

“Don’t remind me,” Asami said despite her smile, pushing Opal off.

“See, she loves me,” Opal mouthed at Korra, nodding knowingly.

Korra laughed, shaking her head. “You guys are so entertaining.”

“We try,” Opal said, taking a normal seat between Asami and Korra.

“So, you’ve gotta tell me, how are you guys friends now? I mean, no offense Korra, but there have been many nights when I wanted to smack the shit out of your for coming to the Drive-Thru when we’re about to close,” Opal said, stirring her water with a straw so that the ice cubes clinked noisily.

“Can we just, I don’t know, forget about that?” Korra said, trying to appeal to Asami and Opal.

She was met with silence as they both managed to raise an eyebrow at her at the same time.

“I’ll never forget. Will you, Opal?” Asami said, turning to her best friend.

“Oh, I don’t think so Asami. I don’t think so at all,” Opal said grimly as she maintained eye contact with Korra.

Korra slid back into the booth a little bit, a bit scared at whatever was about to come next.

“I mean, who can forget the time she rolled up at 10:58 PM, asking for a triple Big Mac?” Opal said to Asami as if Korra wasn’t even there anymore.

“And when I pointed out that the Big Mac already came with three patties, she said that she knew; that she actually wanted one stacked with nine patties?” Asami said.

“Hey, it wasn’t even for me—“ Korra tried to interject, but Opal continued.

“And then I had to go get a new box of burgers from the freezer because WHO THE HELL WOULD ORDER A NINE PATTY BIG MAC AT 10:58 PM?!” Opal yelled angrily at Asami, as if she was re-living the moment.

“Someone who clearly didn’t care about us poor workers, who ended up having to stay until 12:15 AM after the onslaught of unexpected food prep,” Asami said, shaking her head at Korra.

“All right, I get it, I’m sorry that—“ Korra began to say, but was cut off by Asami this time.

“OR the time she came at 10:59 AM, disguising her voice as an old woman and giving us a sob story about how she’s malnourished so we’d feel bad and make her food…” she said, and Opal immediately picked up.

“…and then when the poor little old lady pulls up to the window IT’S FUCKING SHIT HEAD AND THE FUCK BOYS!” Opal shrieked.

“Shit Head and the Fuck Boys? Is that what you call us?” Korra asked, laughing, but Opal and Asami were not quite through yet.

“But the worst time, the absolute _worst_ time, was when you begged us to open up so you could pee…” Opal said, her eyes narrowing.

“And instead your two friends came in and puked all over the toilets in the men’s room, leaving it for us to clean up,” Asami said, closing her eyes with a grimace at the memory.

“That’s not even the worst part, either. Because on top of that, you all proceeded to attempt to order food from us, at 11:45 PM at night _, forty five minutes past closing_ , since ‘it’s not that hard to flip a damn burger anyway’ ,” Opal mimicked in a rude tone, making air quotes with her fingers.

“Okay, I didn’t even say that! That was Bolin! And he’s usually not that mean. I don’t know what was with him that night.” Korra said, frowning.

“Well, you’ll have to tell Bolin that perfect hair, amazing arms, and a charming smile won’t get him everywhere in life. He needs to learn some damn manners,” Opal said.

“Says the girl with a sailor’s mouth,” Asami laughed.

“Amazing arms, eh? I’ll be sure to tell him those words exactly, and that you said it,” Korra grinned.

“I will put an end to this very short friendship so fast your head will spin if you do that,” Opal warned, her face getting red.

Korra dissolved into laughter. “Okay, okay! I won’t say anything. But I will tell him thank you. Because if it weren’t for him and his brother Mako getting wasted every weekend, and me driving them, I would have never met you guys.”

“Which was the original point of this whole conversation anyway, Opal. Remember, you asked how Korra and I became friends?” Asami said.

“Yeah…but then my mind became clouded with all the shit she’s pulled and I kinda forgot. So continue on with an abridged version of your new friendship,” Opal said, getting comfortable in the booth as she awaited their response.

“You can tell it, Korra. Opal and I have done enough talking for a bit, I think,” Asami said, shooting Korra a smile, which she readily returned.

“Got it. So, here’s what went down. I felt bad for pulling all the stunts that you guys just described – thanks for the trip down memory lane, by the way – so I wanted to make it up to Asami. Since I always order a cone, I figured, ‘I’m gonna order two cones and give one to Asami and we can chill!’ But then I was late, and came right before closing, and she was kinda pissed but then she wasn’t. After that we decided to go to my parents’ bagel shop _Senna’s_ , where I work, and I made her a bagel and we talked. And then we came here!” Korra said.

“Lame story. I was expecting something hot. Like a sexcapade in the back of the building by the dumpsters or something,” Opal said.

“Oh, shut the hell up,” Asami said, lightly shoving Opal’s knee.

“Well we talked about pizza! That was _really_ good,” Korra said.

“Yes! It was _amazing_. I love talking about pizza,” Asami said.

Opal looked back and forth between the two. “So is ‘talking about pizza’ a euphemism for sex?”

“Will you give it a rest?!” Asami laughed, her cheeks reddening as she shot a ‘ _sorry-about-her_ ’ glance at Korra.

“Never. But in all honesty, Korra, I’m glad we’re all friends now. Because our friend Asami here always seems to find herself with a lot of boy troubles, so now you can beat them up for me while I angrily hurl insults!” Opal said way too cheerily.

“Boy troubles?” Korra said to Asami curiously.

_How could she ever have boy troubles? She’s way cool._

“Yeah. I’m pretty much through with dating. I have a long, sad history of men who have broken my heart,” Asami said dejectedly, thinking a moment before she spoke again.

“Sometimes it’s not their fault, though. Sometimes it’s me. I tend to get really…inside of my own head, if that makes sense. I over-analyze stuff, I guess. Relationships are no exception,” Asami said.

“She’s an engineer,” Opal pointed out, as if that explained everything.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’ve never even dated anyone,” Korra said, and she was met with a collective gasp from Asami and Opal.

“What?” Asami said, dumbfounded.

_How has she never dated anyone? She’s so cool!_

“Yeah, I just haven’t really ‘clicked’ with anyone that way yet,” Korra shrugged.

“So we’ve got the girl who’s dated too much and the girl who’s never dated. Interesting. And then there’s me; owner of a healthy and stable social and dating life,” Opal said thoughtfully while Asami and Korra exchanged mildly annoyed glances.

“Needless to say, I clearly know what I’m doing. You two do not. Here’s my brilliant proposal: you two play matchmaker for each other!” Opal said, clapping her hands together.

“But we don’t even really know each other yet…?” Korra questioned.

“You don’t have to do it right this second, silly. But think about it; since Asami’s had so much experience, she can pick out a guy for you that she knows will treat you right! And since Korra’s never dated before, she can choose someone for Asami with a fresh perspective that Asami’s jaded and clouded mind might normally look over,” Opal said.

“Jaded and clouded mind?” Asami said.

“I see what you’re saying.  Maybe we’ll have to give it a go at some point in the future once I know more about Asami. Right now, I pretty much know that she likes to take her showers at night, in scalding hot water, but she’ll take a morning shower if she was too lazy to shower at night after work. I also know that she likes pop music but is really open to anything, and that she loves yoga pants. Also that she cuddles a pillow at night,” Korra listed off as Asami’s smile widened and Opal’s eyes grew wider.

“Creep!” Opal shouted.

“No! I told her all that stuff,” Asami said to Opal, “and you remembered!” she said to Korra.

“Of course I did! That was only, like, an hour and a half ago,” Korra said.

 “Well, that’s still more than half of my boyfriends could ever remember. This guy I dated named Tahno used to buy me white chocolate on every holiday occasion, and—“

“You HATE white chocolate!” Korra and Opal exclaimed at the same time.

Asami started laughing. “You know what, maybe I should just date you two. We’d be the ultimate OT3.”

“If we’re all single by the time we’re 32, let’s do it,” Opal said, throwing her hand on the table.

“I’m in,” Korra said slapping her hand on top of Opal’s.

Both of her friends looked at Asami expectantly before she rolled her eyes, placing her hand on top of Korra’s.

“Fine. But don’t expect me to cook for you two dorks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Opal is sassy


	8. This Plan Has Some Cracks in It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Iroh walks into a bar? Opal, Korra and Asami come up with crackpot plans to avoid him.

After mingling with the bar patrons, offering a  few discounts on drinks, and finding a singer for karaoke that could actually, well, you know… _sing_ , Kuvira made her way back to Opal, Asami and Korra’s booth.

“Care if I join?” Kuvira asked, not bothering to wait for an answer as she slid in next to Asami.

“Does it matter?” Opal snorted. “You’ve already made yourself comfortable.”

Kuvira smirked at her. “I own this place. I can do what I want.”

“Somehow I don’t think that includes totally invading Asami’s personal space…” Opal said, casting an apologetic look at her best friend who had been unceremoniously mashed into the wall by Kuvira’s abrupt gesture.

“Oh…I suppose not. Apologies Asami, I’ll move over,” Kuvira said, scooting a bit closer to the edge to make room for Asami.

Asami sighed in relief, peeling her face off the wall and shifting back into a more comfortable position.

“So, you guys owe me. Well, more specifically; Korra and Opal. You owe me,” Kuvira said coolly.

“Are you kidding me? For what!?” Opal shrieked.

“Yeah! For what?!” Korra yelled, backing up Opal.

“Jesus, calm down. What the hell have you guys been drinking?” Kuvira said, holding up her hands to try and cool down the situation.

“Water,” Asami said flatly.

“Are you kidding me? So you all are just naturally insane. Good to know. Wish I would have known that before I married into the family,” Kuvira said, her tone dropping accusingly as she leveled her gaze at Opal.

“Hey, I’m not going to apologize for being me, okay?” Opal defended herself.

“I’m not asking you to,” Kuvira said, slightly confused.

Opal shook her head, forgetting that Kuvira sometimes didn’t catch on to her way of speaking. “Never mind. Just spill. What do we owe you for?”

“Ah. I’m glad you asked,” Kuvira began, prompting Opal to roll her eyes.

“There was a small crowd of people over at the bar that were planning on ordering some chili cheese fries and throwing them at you two as you left the building,” Kuvira said, nodding surreptitiously over her shoulder at a group of friends around their age at the bar.

“Wow. I knew that people were jealous of my good looks, but I didn’t know it was getting _that_ bad…” Korra said, throwing a wink to Asami who giggled in response.

Kuvira scowled. “It’s not because of your good looks. It’s because you and tone-deaf Opal hurt their ears so much that they dropped their drinks. They were just coming out to have good time, and told me that after that performance, they felt attacked.”

Opal looked mildly annoyed. “Oh give me a break. It wasn’t that horrible.”

“The amount of shattered glasses that now have to be replaced beg to differ,” Kuvira deadpanned, earning another glare from Opal.

“Anyway, I overheard this plan of theirs while passing, and while I admit I would have secretly loved seeing it come to fruition, I’m not that heartless. So I offered them each one free item off the entire menu in exchange for your safety and well-being,” Kuvira announced.

“You make it sound like it was some kind of pact to avoid war,” Korra said laughing at the way Kuvira told the story in such a serious and formal tone.

“Well, I am a history buff. I suppose it rubs off in conversation,” Kuvira said thoughtfully.

“Speaking of history…” Opal said uneasily, grabbing Asami’s arm and pointing to a guy who had just entered the bar.

He was dressed in a button-up black shirt, the sleeves rolled up halfway to show off his forearms. His dark wash blue jeans were tailored nicely showcasing a pretty perfect (as much as Opal hated to admit) butt as he sat down at the bar, signaling over the bartender for a drink.

His smile was the kind that could knock you off your feet, and even more lethal when he ran a hand through his jet black hair at the same time, slicked and parted to the side like he was about to walk down a red carpet.

When he pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on as he began to browse on the tablet he had brought with him, Opal thought every female (and a few males) within a 20 foot radius of him was going to faint.

“Iroh,” Asami said, her voice just above a whisper as she froze in place upon seeing him.

“Oh…oh no…” she whimpered, sliding downwards towards the floor. “He can’t see me! I can’t let him see me! Opal, this is a disaster!”

“Not yet. Literally nothing has happened yet. So let’s approach this rationally,” Opal said calmly, and Asami nodded in agreement, awaiting Opal’s suggestion.

“Okay. Kuvira, you go up to him and smack the tablet out of his hands. Korra, you kick his chair out from beneath him and piss on the tablet. Meanwhile, I will escape with Asami out the back door. It’s the perfect plan,” Opal said confidently

“I---I just…PISS ON THE TABLET?!” Korra said.

“This plan sounds horrible,” Kuvira agreed.

“Well, I don’t hear anyone else coming up with anything,” Opal grumbled, gesturing flippantly around the table.

“If only we had a straight A student and fledgling engineer among us…” Kuvira said, prompting Asami out of her near catatonic state at the prospect of running in to her ex.  

“ _Oh_. Oh yeah. No one’s going to be pissing on a tablet, Opal. Here’s what we’re going to do instead. Korra is going to hold me on her shoulders piggy back style. Then, I will put on my coat, which will cover Korra so that we look like one really tall person. I will steal oversized sunglasses, a fedora, and possibly a mustache from someone if available and put them on. Then Korra and I will escape in disguise,” Asami said, her mind calculating the odds of escaping undetected as Kuvira, Korra and Opal stared at her, their mouths dropping open slightly.

“I’m not sure I want to be friends with you guys anymore. I think…I think you guys are on crack,” Korra said slowly.

“Asami, I love you, but that plan might suck more than mine,” Opal said, patting Asami on the head affectionately.

“Hey!” Asami said.

“Listen, I know you’re not thinking rationally right now because you’re cycling through all the scenarios that could happen if Iroh spots you. But trust me, I would eat all the tuna fish in the world before I let that happen- and I HATE tuna fish,” Opal said earnestly, grabbing Asami’s hand.

“Okay, everyone calm down. I’ve got a plan: Kuvira: Your codename is Li’l Devil. You are going to cut the electricity to the building so that the lights are down momentarily. Opal: your codename is Unicorn. You are going to hack into the wireless network here and download a virus onto Iroh’s tablet. Meanwhile, Asami and I will escape onto the roof and hide there until everyone leaves for the night. Sound good? Good. Let’s get to it then--” Korra said, starting to get up.

 “HOLD ON!” Opal stopped her friend. “Two quick things: first of all, what are the codenames for you and Asami?”

"Asami is Phoenix and I am Storm,” Korra said impatiently, eager to get on with the plan.

“Much better than Li’l Devil and Unicorn…” Kuvira mumbled.

“Okay, secondly: we’re not doing your plan,” Opal said, effectively crushing Korra’s spirits.

“What?” she said dejectedly, sitting back down.

“Well for one, I can already tell you Kuvira is too lazy to shut the power off and deal with customer complaints, I can barely log on to a wireless network let alone hack one, and I don’t see the point in you and Asami sitting on the rooftop when you could just leave in her car once you get out of the building. And for that matter, I also don’t see the point in hacking his tablet, as awesome as that would be,” Opal listed, counting with her fingers as she noted the flaws in Korra’s plan.

“My life is over,” Asami stated quietly. “I’ve accepted my fate.”

Kuvira sighed loudly. “Okay children, how about this? Leave the bar as you normally would while he’s occupied on his tablet.”

Korra, Opal and Asami stayed silent as they considered the plan.

“I like it,” Asami said, breaking the silence.

“Okay, _why_ didn’t you suggest this earlier?” Opal said, annoyed at Kuvira for holding out on them.

“Well, I figured that it was common sense and didn’t need to be stated. But clearly you all abandon rationality at the first sign of a potential problem,” Kuvira said.

“SORRY FOR BEING CREATIVE,” Opal said loudly. “IT’S NOT EVERY DAY YOUR BEST FRIEND’S CRYBABY EX WHO IS AS BORING AS A REAM OF PAPER AND SMELLS LIKE RUBBING ALCOHOL AND AN ORGY OF SHITTY COLOGNES COMES INTO A BAR AND---“

“Hi, Asami,” Iroh said at the edge of their table.

Everyone snapped their heads in his direction. Korra let out an audible gasp.

“Bye!” Kuvira said quickly, getting out of the booth and leaving.

“Oh, hey…” Asami said weakly.

“Hey Iroh how much of that did you hear because I didn’t mean any of it _I swear_!” Opal said so fast that it sounded like her string of words was once sentence.

“What? I just spotted Asami and thought I’d come say hello,” Iroh said, staring at Asami. “Can I sit down?”

“No,” Korra answered for her. “We’re discussing our menstrual cycles.”

Opal’s eyes grew wide in surprise as she began to smile, playing along with Korra. “Yeah, we’re talking about Korra’s heavy flow.”

Iroh had no words as he looked back and forth between Korra and Opal.

“Umm…that doesn’t sound fun,” he managed to get out.

“It’s not, trust me. I can’t tell you how many good pairs of underwear I’ve ruined because of it,” Korra said.

“Well then…” Iroh said, scratching the back of his neck. “Maybe I could just have a quick word outside with you, Asami?”

“I don’t know,” Asami said evenly, meeting his gaze. _I’m still really pissed at you and your childish behavior._

“It won’t take long, I promise,” he appealed to her, reaching for her hand.

She pulled away abruptly. “Don’t.”

Korra watched Iroh like a hawk, trying to make him feel physical pain with her gaze. “Wanna try again, buddy? You’ll earn a special prize – a punch from me right in the face!”

“Also part of the prize package? Me talking shit to you after she does it!” Opal said, her sweet smile at odds with the venom of her words.

“That won’t be necessary,” Iroh said, backing away before trying one last time. “Asami, please?”

Asami bit her lip in concentration. The last thing she wanted to do right now was talk to Iroh. But on the other hand, if she finally talked to him in person rather than ignoring his texts and voicemails, there was a chance that this could potentially be the last time she’d ever have to deal with him.

_Maybe, for the sake of my sanity, and peace of mind, and maybe, just maybe, the chance to finally move on…I should just suck it up and talk to him._

“Okay,” Asami said simply.

“Okay?” he repeated, surprised.

“Yep. Let’s go,” she said, getting up and ignoring the confused looks of Opal and Korra as she walked in front of Iroh and out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. I just wanted to put something out since it's been awhile! Hope you all enjoy this baby chapter :p


	9. Hey

Asami had to stop herself from taking one last glance at her friends as she pushed the door open, wrinkling her nose at the cold breeze that met her as she stepped outside. They probably thought she was insane right now, agreeing to talk with Iroh after the freak-out she’d had about confronting him in the first place. But as always, logic had won her over. It was better to put things to a stop once and for all, face to face. She was getting real tired of the whole social media run-around thing. Tonight she was going to cut Iroh out of her life for good.

She heard Iroh’s footsteps catching up with her as she slowed to a stop, checking her phone.

_11:05…this should only take about 5 minutes, then I can go back inside and make Opal buy me some type of hot beverage…_

“Asami,” Iroh called as he joined her, out of breath as if he had been running a marathon.

Asami stared at him. _How dramatic._

“Let me warm you up,” he said, moving to grab Asami’s hands, but she pulled away quickly, shoving them in her pockets.

“I’m fine. This isn’t going to take long anyway. I just wanted to tell—“she began, but Iroh cut her off.

“No. Allow me,” he interjected loudly, looking at Asami in such a way that told her even if she didn’t allow him to continue, he’d do so anyway.

Already she wanted to fight with him. She found his brazen mannerisms, which all of his female admirers seemed to mistake for passion, to be rude as hell. Could he really not let her finish a damn sentence? But if she wanted this to be over with quickly, she might as well bite the bullet and hear him out, one last time. Then she could effectively shut him down and leave.

She nodded tersely at him to go on. 

“I know that you came here tonight hoping I’d be here. I’ve done a lot of thinking, and I’ve finally figured it out. You are still in love with me,” he said seriously, fixing her with such a patronizing stare that she had to fight the urge to slap him.

“You ignore my calls and texts because the very thought of me hurts your heart, because you know you’ve done me wrong. But I’m here tonight to tell you that I am willing to give you a second chance, even though I know I shouldn’t,” he finished, sighing deeply.

Asami’s mouth fell open as she stared at him in – shock? Annoyance? No, it was beyond that. She was completely fucking pissed and offended and—

“Now before you say anything, think about how big of a deal this is for me. Usually, after I dump a girl, it’s over. No second chances. But you, you’re something special. Your body…” he said, scanning Asami up and down as he shook his head with a low whistle.

Her blood boiled and she could feel herself begin to shake in anger, gritting her teeth.

“You’re lucky you’re hot, because with your temper, I’m telling you, you’re not going to be the easiest wife to have around—OOF!!”

_All right. Enough of this crap._

Asami reared back and kicked Iroh right in the balls, sending the bastard to his knees.

He whimpered as he sank to the ground, cupping his manhood in pain. “You…you _BITCH_!”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_Meanwhile, inside Kuv’s…_

Korra and Opal had been sitting in silence for the past two minutes, constantly eyeing the door in anticipation for Asami’s return.

After a few more moments, Korra couldn’t take it anymore, interrupting the quiet as she slammed her palm on the table.

“We gotta do something,” Korra said. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay. Asami can seriously handle her shit. It’s okay,” Opal said, even as she continued to bounce her knee nervously under the booth. A particularly high bounce connected her knee with the table, sending a glass of soda that Korra had ordered to spill onto the table.

“Shit!”

As Korra grabbed a napkin and made a show of wiping up the mess, she raised her eyebrows skeptically at Opal, who gave in with a sigh.

“Okay, okay. It’s not okay. What time is it, anyway? They’ve been gone like, 20 minutes!”

Korra checked her phone. “It’s 11:07. What time did they go out at?”

“Like, a long time ago. I think she needs backup. Grab a weapon,” Opal said, scanning the table for her own choice of self-defense.

“Good thing I’ve got a Conceal and Carry license,” Korra said, unzipping her sweater and nodding at her right bicep.

Opal might have been impressed if she wasn’t so annoyed. They had to be professional at a time like this. They might have to kill someone. She had seen how this kind of thing went down in the movies.

Something innocent happens. Two friends decide to step out of the bar for a while. Then one friend kidnaps the other friend and holds them for ransom and then James Bond has to save them or whatever. Where Asami liked her romantic comedies, Opal was a total junkie for conspiracy thrillers and basically anything with explosions.

And if those films had taught her anything, it’s that it is better to take action rather than sit around. With all the time they had already wasted, Asami could be on a plane by now, being blackmailed into assassinating a politician or something.

_No more playing games. Today, I’m James Bond and Korra…Korra is the Bond girl._

Opal grabbed a butter knife and stuck it in the waistband of her jeans, cracking her knuckles.

The two nodded at each other.

“Let’s do this,” they said in unison.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as Opal and Korra turned the corner they saw Asami and Iroh.

“You…you BITCH!” Iroh yelled in pain.

Korra and Opal rushed up to him, working in tandem as Asami frowned at the sudden appearance of her friends.

Korra held Iroh up while Opal brandished her butter knife…or at least, _tried_ to…

It got stuck in a thread for a few very anti-climactic moments before she was able to pull it free, waving it in front of Iroh’s face.

“Who are you calling a bitch, buddy?” Opal threatened menacingly.

“Opal, Korra- what the hell?” Asami said, tugging Opal’s sleeve for her to back away.

“What the fuck are you going to do, butter toast?” Iroh managed to say before Korra let him fall back to the ground as she stood up.

“Blunt blades hurt the most Iroh,” Opal spat back before Asami gingerly took the butter knife from her friend.

“We’re here for backup, Asami!” Korra said, smiling cheerily despite the hostile situation.

“Well then…” Asami said. “I appreciate the call-to-action, but everything’s good here.”

“Okay, well you’ve been gone for a really long time,” Opal pointed out.

Asami pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the time.

_11:09 PM_

“I’ve been gone four minutes,” Asami said.

“Oh. Well…it seemed longer,” Opal murmured. “Did he try to kidnap you? Or blackmail you into assassinating anyone?”

“Have you been watching those movies again? I swear—“Asami said.

“HELLO?! Can somebody help me? Get me some ice or something? Asami just attacked me, completely unprovoked!” Iroh had the nerve to whine.

Korra frowned. “Yeah, okay.”

“And how the hell would you know? Who the fuck are you anyway?” Iroh said.

“Your worst nightmare…” Korra growled, going back to Iroh before Asami gently stopped her.

“Korra, it’s okay. I just have to tell Iroh one thing,” she said quietly, walking slowly up to Iroh and kneeling down to face him.

“We. Are. Through,” she said, clearly enunciating every word.

“You will not contact me. You will not call me. Or text me. Or message me. Or mention me on social media. You and I will never, ever be a thing again. We are over,” Asami, staring him straight in the eyes as she spoke.

“If you know what’s good for you—“ Iroh began to say when Asami cut him off.

“If you know what’s good for _you_ , you’ll stop talking and let me finish. I’ve got two highly skilled Special Ops agents behind me that can help you with that if necessary,” Asami said.

Opal and Korra gave their best mean mugs to Iroh at their mention.

When Iroh looked skeptical but didn’t speak, Asami nodded and continued.

“I don’t want you back. Ever. You treated me like shit, and I’d rather be alone for the rest of my life than be with someone who makes me feel like absolute garbage every day. I hope to the high heavens that you never date again, because I would never wish your company on any man or woman on this entire planet. But of course, that’s unrealistic. So do the human population a favor and learn some fucking manners and basic respect before you are in a relationship with someone again. Got it?” she said.

When Iroh didn’t respond, Korra chimed in. “Got a hearing problem, chump?”

“Yeah! Got a hearing problem, chump?” Opal repeated.

“NO. Jeez. I’ve got it. We’re done. Let me go,” Iroh said.

Asami stepped away and Iroh rose to his feet, backing away gingerly.

“Have a good life, Asami. Thanks for the bruised balls, you asshole,” he said as he began walking to his car.

“I’m sorry, did you say “PLEASE COME KEY MY CAR?” Well okay, if you insist!” Opal said, jumping into action and grabbing the butter knife from Asami’s hand as she ran towards Iroh.

He quickly scrambled into the driver’s seat and didn’t even have the door closed as he reversed, desperately trying to escape Opal’s crazed laughter as she skipped towards his car, butter knife in hand.

His tires squealed as he cleared the premises, flipping them off as he drove away.

“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the true Iroh,” Asami said, laughing as Opal put the knife away and joined her friends, completely calm and normal.

“And Opal, seriously, lay off the movies. You looked like a deranged villain just now,” Asami said, laughing.

“Hey, anything for my best friend. I pride myself on my extreme method acting,” Opal said.

Asami rolled her eyes, but pulled Opal into a lazy hug. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

“Anytime, anytime,” Opal said. “Unless it’s before 7 AM because I don’t ever get up that early.”

“I’ll try not to get into any grave danger before 7 AM then,” Asami said. “Are you going back in?”

“Nah, I’m probably gonna go home. Being intimidating makes me tired. But hey, thanks for coming out tonight. And for telling Iroh what’s up. And Korra, it was nice meeting you. I better see you again. G’night guys!” Opal said, saluting them before heading off to her own car.

“See ya!” Korra waved before turning to a smiling Asami.

“Well?” Asami said.

“Well…?” Korra said inquisitively.

Asami laughed. “This probably wasn’t quite what you had in mind when you asked me to hang out today, was it?”

Korra let out a laugh. “Not really. But it was pretty awesome. Opal’s super funny. Iroh’s a dick. Sorry if we went overboard.”

“Ah, no. It was cool. We’re more intimidating as a group anyway,” Asami said as she walked with Korra back to her car.

“I don’t know about that. Lone Opal with a butter knife was surprisingly terrifying,” Korra said.

“Can’t argue with that. That girl and her movies, I swear,” Asami said as she opened the passenger’s door for Korra before getting in on the driver’s side.

Once they were settled in, Asami let the car warm up for a bit as she browsed for music on her phone. “She’s so obsessed with action stuff.”

“And you’ve got your romantic comedies. Sap,” Korra teased as Asami picked an acoustic ballad to play.

“Hey! There are some really good ones out there,” Asami said wistfully, lost in her thoughts as she thought of some of her favorite films.

“I just…love how thoughtful the couples are in the movies. Like, the guy is always doing some cliché shit to get the girl, and I secretly love it. Who wouldn’t like to be surprised with chocolate or flowers once in a while? Who wouldn’t want someone to stand outside their window in the rain, playing _our_ song? I just want someone to _want_ to do that stuff for me. Like please, throw rocks at my window and come up to my room and just _talk_ to me until 3 AM in the morning,” Asami said, a note of frustration creeping into her voice.

She shouldn’t be saying all this stuff to someone she just met. She didn’t want to burden anyone. Most of all, she didn’t want to look like some weakling who needed to be shown affection all the time. _But seeing Iroh just brought back a whole lot of memories…memories of a whole mess of empty relationships that I put so much into and got nothing in return._

Korra was staring at her, transfixed. She got the feeling that Asami didn’t talk about stuff like this openly often…and the strangest thing was…she wanted to give Asami all the stuff she’d listed off.

_Asami’s boyfriends must have been real shitty if she gets so emotional about this stuff. If someone’s not gonna do it right for her, I will. That’s what a good friend would do._

Asami’s cheeks began to redden as a bout of silence stretched between the two. Why had she just told Korra all that stuff? They had literally known each other a day.

Korra cleared her throat. _Say something, say something!_

“Uh, would you really want someone to throw rocks at your window?” she said, cringing inwardly. _She just showed you this vulnerable side of yourself and that’s what you have to say?_

Asami smiled, still looking a bit embarrassed. “Not like, big ones. Maybe like a pebble. I’m sorry, though, for just unloading on you like that. I don’t usually do that…with anyone, really. I just…”

She looked like she wanted to say more but stopped herself. _Don’t add fuel to the fire. She doesn’t want to hear your shit._

“Never mind,” Asami said, turning up the music to cover up the awkwardness.

Korra was about to interject when Kuvira opened the front door to the club.

“HEY! YOU GUYS CAN’T DINE AND DASH! OPAL! ASAMI!”

Across the parking lot, Opal still sat in her car. She looked up abruptly and locked eyes with Asami.

“OPAL! PAY YOUR DAMN BILL!” Kuvira yelled, running towards her car.

Opal squealed her tires and pulled out of her space just in time, jetting down the road as Kuvira changed course towards Asami’s car.

“ASAMI!”

“Hold on!” Asami exclaimed as she reversed quickly, getting the hell out of the lot before Kuvira could reach them.

“WHAT THE HELL!” Kuvira screamed at Asami’s retreating car, crumpling the bill in her hands.

She _could_ tell Su on them. Granted, Su would remind her that Opal and her friends eat free, since Opal is, after all, her daughter.

But she also hated just giving away product no matter who it was. She herself always paid for her food and drinks when she dined in the club, even though Su always insisted otherwise.

At the end of the day, it helped her sleep better knowing she wasn’t getting special treatment. Opal, however, seemed to not have any qualms about that.

Then again, they had really only had waters and a few sodas.

Kuvira tossed the bill into a nearby trash can, deciding to let the hooligans have their fun for the night.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Asami pulled into the parking lot at _Senna’s_ to drop Korra off at her car, Korra turned down the music before she exited the vehicle.

“Hey, so I just wanted to say thanks for hanging out with me,” Korra said, giving Asami a lopsided grin.

Asami returned her smile. “Thank you for asking me to hang out! It was really nice talking to you. We should totally do it again sometime.”

“Oh, for sure! You have my number, so just text me or call me. Or maybe I’ll come by when you’re working again or something,” Korra said, opening her door.

“Korra!” Asami called, and Korra closed the door.

“Thanks for coming out with Opal to check on me and Iroh. That was really nice of you,” Asami said sincerely.

“Hey, it’s no problem. I mean, you totally had it under control, but you know…hyperactive imaginations run wild and…yeah,” Korra said, trailing off. “Well, see you around then?”

“Absolutely,” Asami nodded in affirmative as Korra opened her door again.

Korra lingered, feeling like she should give Asami a hug or something.

_No, no. You just met her._

Instead, she held out her fist to Asami, who hesitated only a second before bumping it with her own fist, a small smile on her face.

“Bye,” Asami said quietly.

“See ya!” Korra grinned, hopping out of the car and shutting the door before she got into her own car, waving at Asami as she turned it on.

As Korra began to drive away, Asami followed suit, making the short drive to her apartment.

_Too bad I don’t know Korra better…she could have stayed the night. We could have watched TV or something. I could’ve made snacks._

Asami hated to admit it to herself, but some nights she just didn’t like to be alone. The apartment could be starkly lonely sometimes, and especially after a night like tonight, Asami really wished that she had someone to just come over and chill out.

Opal was always sleeping after 11:30 PM. Asami had tried having her over once. She always migrated to Asami’s room while she made food, and just as soon as Asami would get some popcorn popping, she’d find Opal fast asleep on her bead. And she was virtually impossible to move. It was as if Opal gained 100 pounds when she fell asleep, because try as she may, Asami couldn’t roll her off her damn bed, so she had to end up sleeping on the couch.

Yeah, Opal was out.

When Asami made it home, she tossed her keys on the counter and sat on one of the stools, her face in her hands as she contemplated.

 _Maybe I should just go to bed_ , she thought with a sigh, getting up when her phone buzzed.

**NEW MESSAGE FROM KORRA**

Asami smiled, sitting back down. _Korra's texting me already?_

She opened the message.

 **11: 39 PM Korra:** **Omg Asami…I just dropped my phone in the kitchen sink and it still works!!! Like what???**

Asami laughed. _Korra dropped her phone and her first thought was to text me? What a dork._

**11:39 PM Asami: Korra!! Put your phone in rice, now!**

**11:40 PM Korra: K mom ;)**

Asami didn’t know what to respond with, so she just laid her phone down, resting her head on the counter for the time being. Korra wouldn’t be able to text her back anyway since she _should_ be putting her phone in rice to prevent any damage.

Asami had almost drifted off to sleep when her phone buzzed again.

**11:46 PM 4145659850 Hey wanna call me?**

Asami frowned. Unknown numbers always gave her an uneasy feeling.

**11:47 PM Asami: Who is this?**

She smiled when she opened the almost instant reply.

**11:48 PM 4145659850 Special Ops Agent Korra on my friends phone**

Asami responded quickly.

**11:48 PM Asami: Yeah you can call me !**

**11:48 PM 3135659850 Cool**

Moments later Asami’s phone lit up with an incoming call. She waited a moment before answering, not wanting _too_ look to eager.

“Hello?” Asami said, smiling despite herself.

“Hey,” came Korra’s voice, laughing a bit at the end.

“Hey,” Asami said back, waiting for Korra's reply.

“So…what’s up?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asami, Korra has gotchu. 
> 
> My version of Opal in this story is so hyped I hope you all don't mind!!


	10. Snow Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pipes be bursting

“No you didn’t. No you didn’t!” Asami laughed, pulling her blankets closer around her as she listened to Korra’s insane story over the phone. 

“I did, I swear! I couldn’t let Mako outdo me. But once I got to the top of the water tower, I was too scared to come down. My parents had to call the fire department to rescue me. That was when I discovered that I don’t like heights,” Korra said. “And the best part is, after it was all done, Mako apologized because he said he never even got to the top of the water tower anyway. He was just lying to look cool, and stupid me tried to outdo him. What a mess!”

“Oh my god, Korra. You’re crazy!” Asami said, shaking her head with a smile.

“So I’ve been told. You know what’s crazier though?” Korra said.

“What?” Asami asked, switching her phone to her other ear.

“That we’ve been on the phone for like three hours. It’s almost 3:30 AM,” Korra said, and Asami gasped when she realized that Korra was right.

“Shit! And I have work at 8. Which means I have to be up at 7. Which means... I’m an idiot,” Asami said, closing her eyes at her rash decision making.

“Well, we can stop now. I didn’t even realize we were talking so long. And you’re not an idiot,” Korra said before yawning very loudly - loud enough for Asami to distance herself from the phone until she could hear that Korra was done.

“That was a bit dramatic,” Asami said, smirking.

“Nah. Maybe. Okay, yeah. But whatever,” Korra said, laughing. “So anyway, nighty-night!”

Asami shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “Good night! Even though it’s almost morning but you know what I mean.”

“Heh. Yeah, I do,” Korra said, laughing. “Night!”

“G’night!” Asami said, waiting for Korra to hang up. But she still heard Korra ruffling around her blankets on the other end.

“Aren’t you going to hang up?” Asami said.

“No - you hang up first!” Korra said, settling into her bed with a sigh. Her voice sounded muffled now - Asami bet that her face was probably mashed into a pillow or something.

“What? No! You first,” Asami said, surprised at herself for being so childish. But Korra was playing along, and it was strangely fun.

“Asami! Hang up. Unless you want to listen to me sleep. I can just put you on speaker. You can listen to me snore. Sweet dreams,” Korra murmured as put Asami on speaker, laying the phone next to her head. After Asami didn’t reply, Korra took advantage of the moment of silence to gather herself and snore as loud as she possibly could into the phone’s speaker.

Asami jumped in surprise. “Korra!!”

She could hear Korra laughing hysterically before choking on her own spit.

“Goodnight, Korra,” Asami said, bursting into laughter herself as she finally pressed the “End Call” button.

Asami sunk further into her mattress and laid her head on the pillow, closing her eyes contently with a light smile and sigh. She couldn’t believe that they had let the time slip by so fast. It wasn’t like her to be so irresponsible when she knew she had to be up early the next day, but she didn’t regret talking to Korra at all. It was the most care-free she had felt in a long time, listening to her crazy stories and smiling when Korra insisted that she didn’t mind Asami’s rambling. It was a nice change of pace from phone calls about going into work, or emotionally taxing conversations with her father. Those were things that drained her. But phone calls with Korra? It was something that Asami could definitely get used to, especially if they made her as happy as she was right now.

Asami’s screen lit up and she sat up in surprise, swiping her screen open to find a text from Korra:

**Korra: You hung up on me :(**

Asami smirked, and typed a quick reply before turning her phone over on her nightstand.

**Asami: I did. Because you’re loud. Night :p**

She fell asleep within moments of closing her eyes.

* * *

When Asami showed up to work the next morning Opal began laughing immediately, and got to work fixing Asami’s favorite caffeinated beverage right away. 

“What the hell happened to you last night?” Opal said, handing her a piping hot mocha with extra whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel and chocolate.

“I was talking on the phone,” Asami mumbled, gratefully accepting the mocha from Opal. She took a cautious sip, closing her eyes at the combination of the warmth and the superb taste. Opal always made the best drinks. “Thank you for this.”

“No problem. You look like an extra from the Walking Dead today. I mean, you’re still hotter than everyone here, except me, but still. Who in the world kept you on the phone so long?” Opal said as Asami signed into a register.

“Hmm. Korra,” Asami said lazily, leaning on the counter.

Opal’s eyes widened in surprise. “Korra - really? Wow. Huh. Interesting. It takes a special person to keep your grandma ass up that late. Props to her. By the way, apparently Iroh went on a social media tirade about you last night. Said that you are a trashy bitch and that he never wants to see or speak to you ever again, and that all men should stay clear of you. It was funny as hell. I favorited all of his tweets.”

“Oh god. Well, that was the goal. Him not wanting to see or speak to me again. I probably shouldn’t have kicked him, though. That was kind of a bit much,” Asami said, wincing as she thought of the previous night’s events.

“I mean, yeah, it was harsh. But, think of it as getting even for all the emotional pain he caused you. I don’t feel bad about it. Not one bit,” Opal said.

“You’re not the one who kicked him,” Asami said, sighing.

“But I was the one that chased him with a deadly weapon,” Opal said matter-of-factly.

“Butter knife,” Asami corrected, unable to hold back a smile.

“Which  _ can  _ be deadly if used the right way. Anyway, what are you going to do, apologize? No. Your interaction with him is as good as done. It’s time to jump into a new bed,” Opal said, patting Asami on the back.

Asami took a sip of her mocha, mulling Opal’s words around in her head. “Why do I have to buy a new bed?”

Opal scowled. “So lack of sleep causes you to lose IQ points. Noted. No, dummy. You need to rebound with a better guy!”

Asami groaned. “Ohh no. No I don’t. I told you, I’m not dating for a while again.”

“But what about the thing with Korra? Where she picks out a guy for you and you pick out one for her?” Opal said, frowning. “That sounds so fun!”

“How about you do it, then? You seem more invested in the idea than I do,” Asami said, noticing that the minute hand on the clock had barely moved since she’d started her shift.

“I can pick out good matches for myself. You can’t,” Opal said.

“Ughhhh, I just want to go home and sleep, Opal!” Asami grumbled, not wanting to discuss the matter further.

Opal took the hint and squeezed Asami’s shoulder before patting her on the head.

“If I was the manager, I’d let you do whatever you want. But I’m a fucking line cook so the best I can do is offer you my utmost moral support. Good luck kid, here’s your first customer of the day!” Opal said, disappearing to the kitchen.

“Hello, how can I help you?” Asami said brightly to an elderly woman that had approached, giving her a friendly smile.

“Hi there, could I have a double cheeseburger?” The woman said, getting out her wallet.

“Sure! Anything else for you today?” Asami asked, keying in the order.

“Not today,” said the woman, handing Asami .75 cents.

“Oh! I’m sorry, the total is actually going to be $1.05,” Asami said apologetically, hoping beyond hope that the woman wouldn’t freak out.

“Don’t I get a senior discount?” the woman asked, confused.

“Unfortunately we only offer the senior discount on coffee or other beverages,” Asami said, awaiting the woman’s response.

“Oh,” the woman said, pulling out another quarter and nickel out of her pocket before handing them to Asami.

“Thank you! Would you like a receipt?” Asami said as she closed the register drawer.

“No, but you really should consider lowering your prices. That price was a bit hefty for a cheeseburger,” the woman said before walking to the food pick-up area further down the counter.

Asami stared at the spot where the woman had just been.  _ Yeah, okay, let me go talk to the CEO and get the price lowered for you. _

She shook her head, willing the negative thoughts from her head.

_ You can do this, Asami. 5 more hours, no big deal. _

The sound of shoes scuffling on the floor caused Asami to look towards the front door, and she smiled when she saw a family clamor in, a mother with two young children.

“I want the Happy Meal, mommy!” the young girl said, scrambling up to the front counter to beat her brother who was close behind her.

“Kids, calm down!” the mother called as she hurried to join them at the front counter.

“Hi, Miss. You’re pretty! Can I have a chicken nugget with a toy?” the little girl said to Asami, who laughed at the way the girl spoke quickly, out of breath.

“Thank you! And you most certainly can, if it’s okay with mom,” Asami said, smiling knowingly at the girl’s mom.

The mom rolled her eyes, though she was smiling as well. “Hello, sorry for the kids. Could I please have two chicken nugget happy meals, with the apples and juice?”

“Absolutely! Anything else today?” Asami said, putting the order through.

“Nope, thank you that should be all…” the mother said, her voice trailing off as she wrinkled her nose, sniffing the air. “Huh. Do you smell that?”

“Hm?” Asami said, her brows furrowing. She didn’t smell anything.

“I SMELL IT, MOMMY. IT SMELLS LIKE POOPY! I BET EMI MADE POOPY!” the little boy said, pointing at his sister.

Emi’s face turned red as tears began to fall from her eyes. “I-I didn’t do anything! Mommy!”

As the little girl began to sob she buried her face in her mother’s jacket, who sniffed her once for good measure before patting Emi on the head.

“No, it’s not her…” the mom said, glancing around the store in search of the culprit.

Now that Asami breathed in the air a few times, the stench of something rotten was definitely getting stronger. Had someone plugged the bathroom toilet again?

“WE’VE GOT A PROBLEM BACK HERE!” Opal yelled, her head popping up from behind the food warmers.

“Asami, get Zaheer!” she yelled before disappearing again.

“Err...hold on one moment, ma’am,” Asami said apologetically as she rushed to the office. The door was locked after she had tried it, so she knocked on it a few times.

“Zaheer?” she called.

“I’m  _ meditating _ ,” came the gruff reply.

“We need your help. Something’s gone wrong in the kitchen!” Asami said loudly, covering her nose with her shirt as the smell became stronger.

She could hear Zaheer’s footsteps as she made his way to the door. When he opened it, his expression turned from one of annoyance to disgust.

“My god, what is that smell?” he said, rushing past Asami as she followed him into the kitchen.

Asami grimaced when she saw a pool of gray sludge on the ground, leaking from a pipe in the corner, and it didn’t look like it was about to stop.

Zaheer closed his eyes and froze, contemplating.

After ten seconds had passed, Opal traded annoyed looks with Asami. “Um, Zaheer? Aren’t you going to do something?”

He held up a hand as he concentrated, bringing his fingers to touch his temple in a sage-like way. “Sewage leak.”

There was a long pause as the employees awaited their manager’s next words.

“AND?” Ryu, who had been working drive-thru, prompted pointedly.  

Zaheer abruptly snapped open his eyes and made his way to the pipe, examining it before twisting a knob on a nearby pipe. The sewage stopped leaking, but the damage had already been done. A good portion of the floor had been covered in the murky liquid, and it was fast spreading across the rest of the kitchen area.

“We’re closing for the day. I need to put a call in to corporate. Ryu, mop this up best you can. Asami, explain the situation to the customers, compensate them accordingly, and close up the restaurant. Opal, make signs saying we’re closed until further notice and put them on doors and drive thru windows. You can leave for the day when you are finished. The rest of you, go home,” Zaheer said, quietly and calmly before he made his way back into his office.

The handful of employees that had gathered eagerly tore their visors and aprons off and booked it out of the restaurant.

Meanwhile, Asami looked like she was going to cry. “Opal, my wish came true! This is like a snow day but better!!”

“Excuse me, ma’am?” the mother at the counter called to Asami.

“Oh shoot - I’ll talk to you soon!” Asami said to Opal, rushing back up to the counter.

“So sorry about that - thank you for being patient! Unfortunately, we have a very bad sewage leak in the kitchen, deeming it unfit to prepare food. We will have to close down the restaurant for today,” Asami explained as the children’s frowns began to deepen.

“But--” Asami said, stooping below the counter and grabbing a few things before popping back up, “--the good news is that there is another McDonald’s just a few minutes down the street. Here are some coupons for free happy meals, and two toys for you as well. Now you will have double the toys!”

“YAY!!!” the kids said, taking the toys from the counter as their mom graciously accepted the coupons.

“Thank you so much, that was very sweet of you,” she said to Asami as she took her kids’ hands, leading them out of the restaurant. "Have a nice day!”

“You too!” Asami waved to them as they left, and she promptly locked the doors behind them.

Thankfully there were no other customers in the lobby - they had all probably left already due to the smell.

Asami quickly made her way back behind the counter to count her register and close it up, stifling her laughter as she heard Opal’s frantic footsteps rushing around to post signage on various doors and windows.

“All done!” Opal said, out of breath as she hopped up on the counter just as Asami finished closing her register.

“Me too!” Asami said with a smile. “Now let’s get the hell out of here.”

The pair grabbed their belongings and exited the restaurant without a look back, extremely pleased with the morning’s events thus far.

“I don’t think we’ve ever closed in the history of  _ ever _ ,” Opal said, still in shock as she unlocked her car, parked next to Asami’s. “So what are you off to do? Sleep?”

“Yeah, but…” Asami’s thoughts drifted to Korra, who was probably in the same sleep-deprived situation as she was, but stuck at work instead of getting a day off. It would feel weird to go home and sleep while her partner in crime was struggling to make it through the morning.

While Asami was staring off into space, Opal began waving her hand to catch her attention. “But…? Asami, are you still with me? I don’t think you’re okay to drive. You know they say driving while you’re tired is just as bad as driving drunk, and I don’t have enough money to bail you out and---”

“Wanna come with me to get Korra food?” Asami said, breaking into Opal’s rambling.

“Huh?” Opal replied, completely confused.

“She’s probably working. I feel bad that I’m off and she’s not. She’s probably starving. She likes chicken nuggets,” Asami said, giggling to herself as she thought of the previous night. Korra had told her over the phone that she once put away 40 nuggets in one sitting.

“Are you high?” Opal said, grabbing Asami’s arm and pushing her towards the passenger door of her car. “You know what, don't answer that. Come on, I’ll drive. We can go drop off food to your girlfriend together.”

“What?!” Asami said loudly, her face heating up. “She’s not my girlfriend! You know that! I just met her, anyway.”

“Denial,” Opal said under her breath as she got into her car. “So where to, then?”

“McDonald’s, the one down the road. And then Senna’s,” Asami said sleepily, snuggling back into the car’s headrest.

“Are you kidding me? We just escaped Hell on Earth and you want to return already?” Opal said with a shake of her head as she pulled out of the parking lot. “I swear to god, I’ve known you for like three years but sometimes it’s like I barely know you! Like we could go get chicken nuggets anywhere else...but let me guess,  _ Korra _ likes  _ McDonald’s _ nuggets the best," Opal sneered in a bad impression of Asami's voice. 

"Am I right? Asami?”

When Opal glanced to her side she was met with the sight of Asami sound asleep, a serene smile on her face as she snored lightly.

Opal scowled. “You better wake up by the time I get to Senna’s. I’m not delivering food to  _ your  _ wife.”

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was a set-up chapter! But the next chapter is full of Korrasami goodness. I'm trying to become more organized in my life and getting this fic done is a big part of it. Thanks for sticking with me through the horribly sporadic updates. The slow burn will pay off, I promise!


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